The Healing of the Scarred One III: Final Legacy
by Soulivium
Summary: The future has become the present. A son searches for his lost father. A vile past returns silently like a disease. Hidden clues lead to a secret project that attempts to restore a life. Chaos may be far off, but it will be imminent.
1. Baritone EXE

_Hey, guys! It's been a long time since I last submitted a story here. I've come back to submit yet another sequel of my Healing of the Scarred One series. Thus, this will become my trilogy. xD_

_This 3rd story is basically a big rewrite of my last 2 fan fictions. The story has a lot of new elements yet there will be a substantial amount of some returning elements in the story. The story will take place 20 years after MMBN6. After much thinking, I've decided that I will try to derive my plot mostly from the games and the manga._

_I believe I've grown substantially between the time I wrote my last 2 stories and this one, so this 3rd one will be a test to see what I've learned in my writing classes. Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated. I hope you will enjoy reading this story. :)_

_OK, here we go!_

* * *

The present became the past, the future has become the present. In the cyberworld, the network has become more powerful in security and reparations. Net Navis can finally be safe from harm and be assured that the Net would remain in stable conditions. At least, that is what they would believe for now...

Net City, which has become more advanced than it once was 20 years ago, was bustling with countless Net Navis commuting and communicating with others. The cybernetic structures were bigger and taller. In the clear, cybernetic air, there were libraries of screens depicting of advertisements and entertainments. Down at a stadium in Net City, it was packed with Navis as they cheered for their favorite competitors who fought in Net Battles. In the midst of all these loud and boisterous activities, a white Navi stood high at the tops of the tall buildings in quiet solitude...

This Navi, a pale ghost of the legendary Black Shadow, looked at the city in silent wonder and amazement. His mind drifted to the sounds and sights of Net City. His beige scarf floated lightly in the wind. The Navi quickly came back to his senses before he remembered what he had to do. He leaped to another tall building, searching for someone...

"I must find him... for Mother..." The white Navi thought as he scanned across the city and toward the infinite horizon.

Again, his mind drifted onto the city. His thoughts were disrupted as he saw something at the top of a building in front of him. He leaped toward the building to take a closer look. There, a young girl with pale brown hair and butterfly hair clips was lying on the ground, unconscious. The white Navi became alarmed and leaped at the building in order to examined the girl. When he approached her, he noticed that the girl's body was radiating with a soft golden glow. However, parts of her arms, torso and legs had been damaged and she was on the verge of being deleted.

"She's hurt," the white Navi remarked. He pulled back some stray strands of hair away from the girl's face.

"Strange that a Navi would look like a human in the cyberworld. She kind of reminds me of Mother..."

The white Navi began to carry her in his arms when a column of green light attacked him from the front. Alarmed, the Navi quickly grabbed the girl and dodged the attack. He looked around to see the source of the attack and saw a tall, regal black Navi with a teal cape. The white Navi laid the girl down a safe distance away from the black Navi and then stood defensively behind her.

The regal, black Navi charged at the white Navi with his powerful light-green sword. The pale Navi retaliated with a lightening-blue sword and blocked the black Navi's attacks. The white Navi took a good look at his powerful foe. On the black Navi's left arm was marked "#4358930". He, too, glowed with a soft golden hue, but when the pale Navi looked into the black Navi's eyes, the eyes glared at him with a blood-red glow. The black Navi's face was infested with bugged data. Parts of the black Navi's body were covered with bugged data as well.

"Number 4358930...? Such a powerful Navi..." The white Navi thought in amazement.

He grunted and shoved the black Navi back. The black Navi stumbled back in response and regain his composure. The two opposing Navis glared at each other. The black Navi attempted to attack, but when he took a step forward, he suddenly fell down to his knee and convulsed severely. The white Navi was bewildered to see the black Navi's strange behavior. The black Navi yelled out in agony. His voice was distorted into a blood-curdling howl before his body disintegrated into dark, bugged data. The bugged data lingered for a moment before they, too, disappeared into smaller particles, invisible to the naked eye.

"How strange. A Navi just got deleted from bugs..." The white Navi thought in amazement.

He stared at the girl that was on the ground. He bent down on one knee and touched the girl's forehead with his hand. Right when he was about to heal the girl, a figure materialized in front of him. The pale Navi looked up and became shocked to see the exact same girl standing over him, glowing with the same golden hue.

"Y-You...! B-But... you look the same as..." The white Navi looked down at the injured girl and looked up at the girl standing over him.

"My name is Copy Iris Number 2610984..." The girl replied in a monotonous tone. "I am a subprogram of the Iris Healing Unit Systems, a Net system that automatically searches for any damages in the Net and heals them.

"Copy Iris...?" The white Navi responded. "So, then... you and this girl are copies of the system?"

"Simply put, yes. But unlike the main system, my abilities are limited as a copy. We copies act as the arms and legs of the main system. It's to protect the main system from any potential damage."

"I see." The white Navi spoke. "But, what about this Iris? She must have been injured by the black Navi that tried to attack me."

Copy Iris Number 2610984 stared at the injured Iris. Her eyes scanned the injured Iris for a moment before she could identify her.

"This is Copy Iris Number 7895620. She has sustained severe injuries." Copy Iris Number 2610984 informed.

"I can heal her with Soul Heal." The white Navi offered.

"Thank you, but there is no need for you to use up your energy for Number 7895620. I am able to heal her and other Copy Irises with my healing abilities."

"A-Are you sure?" The white Navi stammered uncomfortably. The last thing the white Navi wanted to do was to abandon the poor injured Copy Iris.

"Yes, there is no need to worry." Copy Iris smiled.

"Alright. If you say so..." The white Navi said quietly as he stepped aside to let the Copy Iris help her injured copy.

Copy Iris held her hands out over the injured copy's body and shimmering golden data began pouring out from Number 2610984's hands and the data poured into the injured Iris. The white Navi was about to leave when Copy Iris Number 2610984 spoke out aloud.

"Wait. What is your name?"

"H-Huh...?" The white Navi turned around.

"May I ask what is your name?" Number 2610984 repeated. Her back was turned toward the white Navi. Despite that her question was directed toward the pale Navi, the copy Iris was paying more attention to her injured copy.

"Oh, my name... It's..." The white Navi paused for a moment before he spoke. "My name is... Baritone."


	2. The Meeting, Part I

"I see... I'm grateful that you were able to rescue Copy Iris Number 7895620," Number 2610984 said with a small smile, unbeknownst to Baritone.

"Uhm... You're welcome..." Baritone wanted to leave, but something nagged him to stay. He stared at the 2 Iris copies in blank thought before a question popped into his mind.

"Oh! Uh... Who was that black Navi with the teal cape?" Baritone asked.

Number 2610984 didn't respond. She didn't turn her head to face Baritone, but instead lowered her head with a sad face.

"So... Who was that Navi that just got deleted?" Baritone asked again.

"...His name is Colonel. He's a copy of the Colonel Attack System. Basically, he's a brother of mine."

Baritone's eyes widened with a mild surprise. "But, why was he bugged? Why would he attack Number 7895620?"

Number 2610984 sighed in response. "Lately, there have been more and more incidences where the copies would be infected with bugs, and they would start attacking anything. Navi civilians, buildings, even other copies... like this one whom you've rescued.

"That's terrible..." Baritone remarked.

"In any case, we have to find the source of the problems. But, so far, there hasn't been much results." Number 2610984 said.

"Hmmm... Oh, have you seen a black Navi with a cloak that's the same color as my scarf?" Baritone asked and pointed at this scarf. Number 2610984 looked at Baritone's scarf before she answered with a no.

"Oh, I see. Alright, then... I'll be going." Baritone stated.

"Alright. Please be careful as you go about."

"Thanks. You, too." Baritone walked away, looked back for a moment and then leaped off to a nearby building.

Copy Iris Number 2610984 was quiet as she was healing her injured copy. She looked up and around her surroundings every once in a while. Though it was calm, something nagged Number 2610984's mind.

"It seems too quiet... I feel something might surprise and strike us at any minute..."

Number 2610984 continued on with her business, but a black Navi stood nearby another building, hidden from the Copy Iris' view.

"That whelp of a son... I'll be sure to get rid of you... Yes, I shall... The Navis of this pathetic city will never know what truly struck them until at the given time. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh..." The Navi chuckled as his hand emerged from his beige cloak and generated a ball of bugs. He then stared at his 2 targets, waiting for the chance to strike...

Meanwhile, Baritone stood at the top of Net City's Central Tower. He looked all around and saw countless Navis minding their own business.

"I should probably get down and try to talk with the Navis there. They might know where Father could be..." Baritone thought as he leaped down from the tower and hopped down on a couple buildings before he landed on the ground.

"Wow... I never thought city life could be this hectic. It's not like where I was born and lived." Baritone commented as he stared in awe of his surroundings.

The buildings that he stood on top of now looked gigantic and seemed to stare down at him. He then looked at the Navis who crowded the streets. He found the incessant blinking of the advertisement screens distracting. Again, Baritone looked around silently until he remembered what he needed to do.

"I really need to stop staring and be focused..." Baritone scolded himself.

He then felt a bit ashamed of eating his words. He didn't realize that asking someone a question was harder than he imagined. Baritone was a bit hesitant as to what he should do. There were Navis of many sizes. Some were small and acted like children. Others seemed large and powerful. Baritone didn't know who to ask.

"I might as well start somewhere." Baritone told himself as he began walking around. Some Navis were too busy talking to each other. Others stared at Baritone curiously, but he was too shy to talk to them and continued walking. Later, Baritone had enough courage to walk up to a couple of security Navis and tried to ask a question.

"Um, e-excuse me. Have you seen a... a black Navi with a beige cloak?"

"Black Navi? The only ones we've seen are copies of the Colonel Attack System, and they have teal capes, not beige."

"Oh, but... I'm looking for a black Navi that kind of... looks like me and wears a cloak that's the same color as my scarf."

"Nah, haven't seen the Navi you're looking for. And, you need to be careful these days. Lately, some of the copies have been buggy, and they've started attacking civilians in Net City."

"Oh. Yes, I know."

"You're Net Op should be more aware about that. You look like the kind of Navis who would be too naïve to see that danger's right behind you."

"What?" Baritone whirled around in panic, but nothing was behind him.

"Hahahah~! You're definitely that kind of a Navi. Anyway, tell your Net Op to be careful."

"Um, what's a Net Op?"

"...What...? You don't have a Net Operator? You don't have a human operator who basically controls you?"

"No. The only human I've ever known is... well, my mother. Well... kind of." Baritone stammered. The security Navis became silent as they tried to process what Baritone said.

"Well, thank you for your help. I'll be going." Baritone excused himself and walked further ahead. The two security Navis stared at each other.

"That Navi must be a nut case saying that he has a human mother..." The security Navis muttered as they walked the opposite direction in surprise and annoyance.

Baritone continued walking down the main street as he pondered what Net Ops were.

"A human who basically controls me... Mother was once human. She never controlled me, but loved me," Baritone thought.

He stopped to look around the street. It was filled with Navis rushing across the street. He was about to cross when he heard an explosion a couple hundred yards behind him. Screams and yelps of fright and panic ensued.

"What the-? What was that?" Baritone turned around and saw a glimpse of the black Navi with the teal cape, only there were 8 copies charging toward Baritone.

"The Colonel Copies!" Baritone stood his ground and summoned his Light Arm Blade. He made a couple steps before he realized that some force began to bear weight on him.

"Argh... Why is it... so hard to move my body...?" Baritone cringed as he tried to move his feet, but they moved sluggishly along the ground. The Colonel copies now came at him with their swords and started to strike him. Baritone attempted to block the copies' attacks, but he was thrown off balance as one of the copies tackled him. Baritone flew backward and fell to the ground on his back.

"Rrrgh..." Baritone grimaced as he stood up. He glared at the Colonel copies before he noticed 2 feminine figures near to his right. Baritone's eyes widened with shock.

"The Iris copies I met earlier...!" The two Iris copies were covered with bugs. Their faces were smothered in the bugged data and their glowing black eyes and blood-red irises glared at Baritone as though they were binding him to the spot.

"No... not you two..." Baritone spoke under his breath.

The two Copy Irises each lifted a hand and summoned a ball of bugged energy. Then, they hurled the energy balls at Baritone and the Colonel Copies. Both energy balls were in the air for a split second before they exploded into bug shards that struck Baritone and the Colonel Copies. The Copy Irises then teleported out of sight.

"Argh!" Baritone yelled out in pain, though he realized now that the strange invisible pressure that weighed on him disappeared as soon as the Copy Irises were out of sight.

"I wonder if the Copy Irises can bind Navis as well as healing them...?" Baritone wondered as he struggled to get up.

Some of the shards were imbedded in his body, while others struck the Colonel Copies. Ironically, they didn't seem to feel the pain. Baritone glanced at the Colonel Copies before he realized the the energy shards not only damaged him. On the contrary, the shards seemed to strengthen the Colonel Copies. They all bellowed as their energy levels skyrocketed and glowed with a red, rippling glow of energy surrounding them.

"Oh no... What am I gonna do...?" Baritone moaned.

The 8 copies then stomped toward him and lifted their swords, poised to give the final blow. Baritone stood his ground preparing for the impact when 2 Navis stepped in front of him.

"Wh-What?" Baritone was baffled. One Navi was red with long silver hair. The other Navi was blue with short black hair that sprouted at the back of his head.

"Proto Sword!"

"Mega Buster!"

With their attacks, the 2 Navis slashed and blasted the 8 Colonel Copies. The copies roared in anger before they retreated and teleported away. The red and blue Navis then turned their attention to the apprehensive Baritone. The white Navi still stood defensively against the 2 Navis.

"...Bass?" The blue Navi exclaimed in surprise.

"No, Megaman... That's not Bass." The red Navi spoke. "He looks like him, but I don't think it is Bass."

"But, Protoman, then wouldn't that mean-"

"Wh-Who are you?" Baritone demanded. "How do you know my father?"

"Your... father?" Both Navis responded with a gape.


	3. The Meeting, Part II

"How do you know my father?" Baritone questioned once more.

"We've met and worked with him before. I'm Protoman." The red Navi explained. Protoman took a couple steps forward and Baritone stepped back in response.

"Easy... We're not going to hurt you. We just want to help you. You're hurt and you'll need to be repaired." Protoman retracted his sword and his arm morphed back to normal.

"Why not have the Iris copies do the job instead? There are millions of copies roaming around here, right?" Baritone argued.

"We don't know which ones may be corrupt with bugs. It would be safer if you come with us so that Dr. Hikari can help you."

Baritone glared at Protoman for a few seconds before he let his guard down and crumpled to the ground. He sat on the ground with his legs outstretched and his arms were weak as jello. The blue Navi approached Baritone slowly and patted Baritone's shoulder.

"Don't worry. Like Protoman said, we're here to help. I'm Megaman. Ehehe... Kind of hard to imagine that Bass has a son. And here I thought Roll and I were the only ones who would have a kid, too."

Silence followed. Baritone stared at Megaman quizzically.

"What? Why are you guys not saying anything?" Megaman asked.

"Megaman, this isn't really the time." Protoman uttered.

"Uncle Hub! Are you OK?" A voice called out. A moment later, a screen popped up behind Megaman and depicted a 12-year-old boy who had mahogany hair tied in a short ponytail and had dark brown eyes. Around his neck was a blue bandana that had Megaman's symbol embroidered on it.

"I keep telling you to just call me 'Megaman'..." Megaman insisted.

"Did you delete the Colonel Copies?" The boy asked, ignoring Megaman's comment.

"We only managed to scare them away."

"Rats. Let's hope they won't come back for a while. Who's the white Navi?" The young boy asked.

"Oh, this is... Wait, what is your name?" Megaman turned to Baritone.

"I'm... Baritone."

"Please to meet ya, Baritone." Megaman extended his hand out to Baritone. The white Navi looked at Megaman's hand and then looked up with a confused look. Baritone didn't understand that Megaman's gesture was an act of greeting.

"Oh, sorry about that. You're injured. Let's get you to SciLab. Patch..." Megaman turned toward the screen where the mahogany-haired boy was. "Tell Lan that we're coming in about 15 minutes, OK?"

"OK, Uncle Hub!"

"I said just call me 'Megaman'..." The blue Navi sighed.

"Be sure not to pull off any attacks here. The security systems can get vicious." Protoman explained as he, Baritone and Megaman teleported into the SciLab's main computer system.

"OK." Baritone complied.

"Lan. Lan! We're here!" Megaman called out. A second later, a screen popped up and a young scientist who had spiky brown hair and friendly brown eyes was depicted on the screen. On his right arm there was a blue sash with the same insignia of Megaman's crest.

"Hey, Megaman. Glad that you came safely. Dad and Patch are here, too." Beside Lan, an older scientist was present. The elderly scientist had grayish brown hair and a pair of glasses. Patch was next to Lan's other side.

"...Is that... Bass?" Lan exclaimed when he took a closer look at Baritone.

"No, Lan. This is Baritone... Bass' son." Protoman answered. "Where's Chaud?"

"Chaud should be coming anytime soon," Lan replied. "Interesting... So, I'm guessing Baritone's... the son of Bass and Naomi, right?"

Baritone slightly blushed in reply. He didn't say anything.

"Hahaha, just as I thought." Lan commented.

"Baritone surely is an interesting Navi," Dr. Yuichiro Hikari, the elderly scientist, remarked as he was scanning and healing Baritone. "His data structure is radically different from many other Navis. I'm also surprised that even the bug shards that hit him doesn't seem to have any other adverse effects... It's almost as if... Baritone's data is neutralizing the bug data..."

Baritone shifted uncomfortably.

"Uhm, thank you for helping me, but I really must go," Baritone said.

"Why?" Yuichiro asked.

"I must find Father."

"Bass? What's happened to him?" Yuichiro asked once more.

"Baritone, I thought Bass stayed with Naomi when we last saw him." Protoman remarked.

"Yes, but..." Baritone looked downcast at this point. He stood with his head down for a few seconds or so before he lifted his head up and looked at Protoman and Megaman with a determined face.

"Father's mind and body is taken over by some clone Navi named NeoForte... and has ran away. I've been trying to find him for weeks..." Baritone confessed. At Baritone's reply, everyone became alarmed.

"That could explain all the bugged Colonel and Iris copies attacking Net City these days." A voice said.

"Chaud! Right on good time!" Lan turned around and greeted as a broad-shouldered man with a short, black and white ponytail came in the main computer room. His hands were buried in his pockets and he had sharp, blue eyes. Those eyes widened with surprise when they saw Baritone.

"Well, I'll be... I never thought Bass could ever become a father." Chaud commented as he smiled lightly. Baritone's face blushed a light pink.

"Can you tell us from the beginning as to how Bass ran away, Baritone?"

"S-Sure..." Baritone stuttered, intimidated by Chaud's figure.

"It's alright. We all knew your mother and father, so there's nothing to worry about." Chaud assured.

"OK... Well, this is what happened..." Baritone said as he stood still for the healing program to do its job.


	4. The Son's Story

...To be honest, I still feel... strange talking to so many Navis. But, then again, I guess... I've never had any real social experience. I never ventured outside of my mother's home before... until the day my father, Bass, fled.

Mother told me that she and Father knew each other way back. She liked him back then like a brother, yet she giggled from time to time how that simple love grew so much over the years as Mother and Father spent time together. She even told me short stories of how Father was once so bitter from his past betrayal by humans and how he was blinded by his hatred for them. But she, along with the help of friends that she had briefly mentioned, were able to heal and bring my father back. I don't know all the details of my parents' past, though. They would never seem to let me go into this one hallway that's filled with locked doors. I'm guessing it's their personal past that they didn't want to share...

I'm not sure if you all know this, and I know this sounds crazy, but I was basically born inside my mother's mind. Her mind was our home. Mother explained that the isolated cyber world that I was born in was her digitized mental network, which held her memories. She also told me she could never leave that place or else she would die. Father never complained about it, though he and Mother told stories about the outside world. I was curious of what this world was like. I could only see it from my mother's hallways of memories. I saw the world of the humans and the world of the Navis.

There were also times when Father trained me in battling. He told me that battling was one of his favorite hobbies back when he was in the cyber world. Whenever I saw Father show his moves, I always admired how my father was so strong and powerful. I want to be just like him...

Well, about a year ago, we were all walking along a field inside one of my mother's rooms of memories. What are they? Well, I call them "rooms of memories" because when you open the door that's in one of the hallways, you enter a sort of a world or a dimension of my mother's past or recreations of either the real world or the cyber world.

As we were walking along on a trail that was across a flowering field, my father began to convulse and his body started to become bugged. My mother tried to help him, but he pushed her away and snarled that he stay away from her. He seemed to have 2 minds. He said one thing and would say something else, like he was... well, schizophrenic or bipolar. I thought it was quite strange at first, and I thought he was playing around, but this time something was really wrong...

...You're giving me a wide-eyed look and asking if my father actually did play around? Eheheh... He did spend time playing with me when I was young. He was actually funny from time to time. Oh, wait. I'm going off track, sorry...

Anyway, ¾ of Father's body was bugged within seconds. He started attacking us and was destroying parts of Mother's mental cyber network. She and I got injured, and we tried to dodge from Father's attacks. When we were cornered, Mother stood in front of me, protecting me... Mother was about to attack while she had tears in her eyes and injuries all over her body... until Father froze a few feet in front of her. I saw his horrified face. He had these blood-red, glowing eyes that were... wet with tears and his face was contorted in a strange combination of evil, guilt and insane rage... I was scared then, and I didn't know what to do... Time seemed to just hang in the air then, until Father uttered these words in a choked voice:

"Naomi... Banish me from this place... before... I end up... destroying it..."

My mother could only gasp in shock and fear. Father angrily demanded that Mother should get him out of the place before things got worse. His hands that were holding his blade were shaking. It was like he was trying to hold back from attacking, yet he was trying to strike at the same time. Mother reluctantly conceded and opened up a portal that sucked Father in. We haven't seen him since...

A few months later, Mother's cybernetic mental network managed to fully repair itself. Mother then proceeded to tell me that the reason for Father's strange behavior was most likely because of NeoForte, who was once the clone of Father and wreaked havoc on Net City a number of times. She didn't speak much about it and was depressed...

I then offered to look for Father. Mother's eyes widened in surprise and became teary-eyed as she hugged me and said she didn't want to lose me, too. But I told her that I missed Father and that I wanted us to be together again... She then commented that history seems to repeat itself over and over, though I'm not sure what she meant. She then opened up a portal to Net City, saying that Father would most likely be present there.

The first time I saw Net City, I was overwhelmed. I never saw such huge buildings and so many Navis at once. For the next few weeks, I looked around to see if Father was present. I couldn't find him anywhere. I was too afraid to ask the Navis if they saw Father. So, I mostly stayed high on top of buildings, away from other Navis below. Occasionally, I would delete viruses that I encountered. But, I didn't know about the bugged Colonel and Iris copies until I saw them today...

So, I'm guessing Father may still be around in Net City somewhere...

But the question is, where could he be...? ...And is he alright...?


	5. Start the Search

"So, that's what happened..." Chaud remarked when he and the others heard Baritone's story. Chaud continued commenting about how there have been incidences where the Colonel and Iris copies would be bugged and disregard their functions from the resulting malfunctions.

"I don't know how NeoForte is able to survive like that..." Lan sighed. "Just when we thought we got rid of him, he reappears and wreaks havoc..."

"Well, NeoForte is basically a clone of Bass. Like Bass, NeoForte is tenacious and can survive under harsh conditions. But I believe Bass would still be alive somehow given his personality." Chaud concluded.

"True..." Lan agreed.

"And, I would think that NeoForte is somewhere around in Net City," Yuichiro remarked. "Given that we've fought him before in Net City, he would show up in the area to fulfill his vendetta. The irony is... despite the tight securities of the Attack and Healing Unit Systems, NeoForte hasn't been found yet. I wonder if he's using some kind of malware to cloak himself from the Unit Systems radar...?"

"Hmm..." Lan responded thoughtfully. "Baritone, which blocks of the Net City area did you search so far?"

"Huh? Uhm..." Baritone answered doubtfully. He didn't understand what Lan had meant when he said "blocks". Lan noticed Baritone's confusion and explained.

"Net City is divided into 5 blocks: North, South, East, West and Central. Those individual blocks are then divided even further into sectors."

"Oh. Well... I'm not sure exactly what block I've searched, but I've seen the Coliseum, the giant street full of malls and the tallest tower in Net City." Baritone explained.

"Those are all within in the Central Block." Chaud remarked. Baritone's eyes widened with surprise.

"Y-You mean to tell me Net City is a whole lot bigger than that...?" Baritone asked.

"Well, considering that technology has grown exponentially, the Net has grown much bigger and advanced to retain lots of information." Lan replied proudly.

"And all these bug infections have been occurring in all blocks." Chaud reported. "But, recently the attacks have become more frequent and concentrated between the border of the North and Central Blocks."

"Looks like I'll have a long way to go in finding Father..."

"Don't worry about that, Baritone. While we go look for NeoForte, we'll help you look for Bass, too." Lan assured.

"Thank you so much." Baritone said gratefully.

In all of the conversation, Patch finally spoke up.

"Dad, didn't you say that you'd show the Navi to me soon?"

"Whoops, I almost forgot. Unfortunately, I'm not done with the final adjustments. So, until then, you'll have to do with Uncle Hub." Lan winked at Megaman. The blue Navi responded with a frown and a huff.

"Huh?" Baritone inquired.

"Lan is making a custom Navi for Patch." Megaman explained to Baritone. The blue bomber then rubbed the back of his head, feeling awkward in the next thing he said.

"He'll be named 'Megaman Jr.'. In a way, I guess you could say that he would be my son."

"Oooooh, congratulations!" Baritone said warmly.

"...In the meantime, I'll contact Raika and ask if he can send Searchman over to Scilab. He's searching functions are one of the best." Chaud said as he whipped out his red PET, which was now a much sleeker design and had a large touchable screen. Chaud pressed the main button on the PET and a holographic screen showed up. The screen showed Raika doing paperwork.

"General Raika. Pleased to meet you again." Chaud stated. The once lieutenant, now a Sharoan general, turned around from his desk and greeted the Net Official. Chaud then briefly explained the situation.

"I'm kind of surprised that NeoForte hasn't made a move in all these years until now. He never quits, does he? Alright, I'll send Searchman down to Scilab." Raika said as he dismissed himself. Chaud's holographic screen then faded away.

"I'll take a head start in the search. When you've recovered, you can come along with Megaman." Chaud said as he exited the room.

"I'll see you guys later." Protoman said as he logged out of the Scilabs computers and jacked into the bustling Net City.

"OK, Baritone. You're recovery's almost complete. Just wait a little while longer." Yuichiro said as he typed on the keyboards.

"Yes, sir." Baritone relaxed as Yuichiro treated him.


	6. The Search

_Happy New Year, everyone!_

_I apologize for the lack of updates on this fan fiction. I need to update more often here instead of just submitting the chapters on deviantART. ^^;_

_I'll post more chapters as time goes on. Currently, there are a total of 10 chapters posted on my deviantART site. I've completed my 11th chapter but will not submit until at a later date. I've started writing chapter 12. Hopefully, I can be more up-to-date in posting in both sites and not just on 1...  
_

_I hope you enjoy reading this fan fiction. :)  
_

* * *

While Protoman scanned the vast Net City, his target was hiding securely in a dark, narrow alley. The beige cloak veiled the target's face and grim sneer, yet his blood-red eyes were wide with sheer insanity. One side of his face was smeared with black bug data. The glitched blemish was beginning to seep into his left eye.

"...Too much time has passed since I last saw this pitiful world." The black-finned Navi chuckled with a malicious grin. His unstable mind seemed to make him jump from one thought to another. He began to chuckle eerily as he talked to himself.

"I've retrieved what is rightfully mine... My own bugged data... Finally, I'm free... Free from that fool... I hope you're enjoying your prison down in the depths of the Undernet. Hmph, but then again, who cares? The Undernet now has become so unstable to the point it will crash some time soon... Not to mention that Wily's Attack and Healing Units will chip away the remaining data of the Undernet... Either way, you'll be gone. Now... where is that pup of yours...? Surely, he knows where your precious Naomi is... Curse you, Bass, for making her banish us before I could absorb her... I'll beat the answer out of that whelp and then destroy him... Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh..."

NeoForte stumbled as he stepped deeper into the alley. He then snarled in frustration.

"Grrr... I need more data... More energy..."

He crouched to the ground and thrust his hand into it. With his hand buried into the ground, NeoForte then proceeded to absorb the data voraciously, as though he hasn't consumed data for years. The truth was, NeoForte had increasing trouble of maintaining his body ever since his data separated from Bass. He had struggled to prevent his fragmented data from collapsing, but the risks grew ever more apparent with each passing minute...

NeoForte continued absorbing the data. The alley became stripped of data and only black empty data remained. The hungry Navi then heard urgent calls of help and the Net police and uninfected Colonel copies rumbling near NeoForte's location.

"Tch... I barely have enough time to feed on the data and then the fools start showing up... But, not now... I won't show myself yet..."

By the time Protoman, the Net police and the Colonel copies arrived at NeoForte's location, the black-finned Navi was already gone.

"Chaud, a lot of data has been lost here. It looks like something has been consuming data in this area. We need get the Iris Healing Units to come for reparations before the buildings collapse."

"Probably NeoForte's work." Chaud stated. "I've already contacted the units. They should be arriving any minute now. Leave the rest to the others, and let's continue searching on our own. Send the private message to all other Net Officials to be alert and to search for the target. Treat this as a secret mission."

"Yes, sir." Protoman obeyed as he sent the command to other Net Officials near Net City. He then resumed to his duties searching for NeoForte...

Meanwhile, back in SciLabs, Searchman had arrived. He saluted stiffly before everybody before he displayed a more casual and relaxed attitude.

"Pleased to meet you, Searchman... sir..." Baritone greeted, albeit timidly. By now, Baritone was fully restored.

"So, this is Baritone, eh? Well, I'll be." Searchman grinned. "You have your mother's personality. Well, with the casual talk aside, let's get onto business."

The Navis and the scientists then discussed the situation and how they could solve the problem.

"...We have the Colonel Attack and Iris Healing Units, yet even the Attack Units can't find NeoForte? That's kind of sad actually..." Searchman commented.

Lan rolled his eyes. Yuichiro scratched his head in response.

"NeoForte's been roaming around in Net City for weeks, yet nobody has been able to catch him, much less detect him." Megaman explained.

"That would mean he's been destroying the Colonel and Iris units if they saw him. They'd be unable to report to others or send distress signals. Or, in the current case, he has been bugging them so that they would malfunction." Searchman inferred.

"Well..." Baritone spoke. "I saw an infected Colonel copy get deleted today before I could even land an attack. This was before when I met all of you."

"Hm, so then NeoForte's bugs are potent enough to delete the copies..." Searchman mused.

While the Navis were conversing amongst themselves, Lan typed on the keyboard to bring up statistics of the Colonel and Iris copies that were infected. The screen then depicted 2 divided sections that each had 24 figures of the respective copies.

On the right, the 24 Colonel copies were represented as individual figures. Some copies were indicated green while others were red. Almost 1/3 of the 24 Colonel copies were labeled as infected copies.

On the left side, the 24 Iris copies were also represented. There were more infected Iris units than the Colonel units.

"Even the Greek copies are getting infected... Not to mention, Copy Iris Numbers 2610984 and 7895620 are now missing..." Lan sighed.

"Greek copies?" Baritone asked. The young white Navi had much to learn about the world beyond the digital network of his mother's mind. Fortunately, Lan had the patience to explain the hierarchy of the 2 unit systems. The young scientist typed in a protocol that showed a tree-like diagram of the hierarchy.

"There are the Colonel Attack Unit and the Iris Healing Unit systems. and are the Navis of the true unit systems that maintain the security of the entire Net. Below them are the Greek 24. They are the top 24 copies that are named after the Greek alphabet, with Alpha being the strongest and Omega being the weakest within that tier. Below the Greek 24 are millions of other copies. These copies are simply called Clones since they only have basic capabilities and can be easily replaced in the event they are deleted. The main purpose of this hierarchy is to protect the real systems from being damaged or deleted. The Greek and Clone copies are dispersed throughout the entire global network to monitor for any potential danger or malfunction. The true Unit Systems are headquartered in our SciLabs."

"W-wow..." Baritone replied in awe.

"Pretty cool, isn't it? And the 2 systems were created by Dr. Wily... Who sadly passed away a couple years after he completed the Unit Systems..." Lan smiled ruefully.

In reality, Baritone was more overwhelmed by Lan's long explanation than being awed by the powerful capabilities of the 2 unit systems.

In the midst of the conversation, Lan's PET started beeping. He whipped out his PET and pressed the button to receive a call from Protoman and Chaud.

"Lan? This is Protoman. Chaud and I have something to show you. Stream this call and the incoming images up onto the main computer's system."

Lan did what Chaud asked him to do. The visual call was projected onto the gigantic computer screen in the lab. A screen then appeared behind Protoman and began a slideshow of images. Lan and Yuichiro then gasped in surprise.

"What happened to the area?" Lan gasped in surprise as he saw the images of the black empty data in the alley where NeoForte was. However, NeoForte was nowhere present in the images. Chaud then jumped into the conversation.

"Ring a bell?" Chaud asked.

"What?" Lan answered.

"Don't you remember what happened over 20 years ago?" Chaud questioned. It took Lan a few seconds to realize what Chaud's question meant.

"The Grave Virus Beast!" Lan exclaimed.

"And history repeats itself." Chaud sighs.

Baritone took note of Chaud's last remark. He recalled how his mother had said the same statement about history repeating itself...

"What happened over 20 years ago?" Baritone, who was not aware of the details, asked curiously.

"It's a long, complicated story." Megaman explained. "Basically, this is what had happened: There was an evil organization that attempted to clone an army of your father through the use of bug fragments. NeoForte was one of these clones. He and the other clones eventually mutated into the Grave Virus Beast, and it ate up the cyberworld's data and the Navis. The Virus Beast almost destroyed the entire Net. NeoForte somehow managed to survive and evolved into the Virus Beast the second time. And now... it looks like he might run havoc again for the third time."

"NeoForte must be behind this," Chaud explained. "He was the Virus Beast, after all."

"And if we don't do something now, who knows when NeoForte will turned into the Virus Beast again?" Searchman said. "Protoman, what's the location of the affected site?"

"Central Block, Sector 50. The Healing Units are repairing the area right now, but they're having a lot of trouble with it." Protoman stated. "NeoForte must have sucked up the data clean."

"Alright, then I'm joining the search party. There should be more results with my search skills." Searchman boasted. Protoman only huffed in reply.

"The Officials and I will continue searching. We'll let you know if anything comes up." Chaud said as he ended the call.

"Well, looks like we'll just have to wait." Lan said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He then looked around. "Where did Patch go?"

"He said he was going to be near your personal lab, Lan." Yuichiro said. "I'm guessing he's itching to meet Megaman Junior. Hub, why don't you go and watch over Patch while we wait here? We'll call you if we need you."

"Sure, Dad. I'll be in the real world in a few minutes." Megaman said. Baritone overheard and could only stare in confusion. How could a Navi be able to interact in the real world?

"Baritone, would you like to come along with me?" Megaman asked.

"Um, OK." Baritone said with hesitation. He then followed Megaman to a couple portals and found himself to be in the Copybot reservation area. Megaman pointed to a row of specialized portals.

"Step onto one of these portals and you'll jack into a Copybot." Megaman stated.

"What's a Copybot?"

"You'll find out." Megaman smiled as he stepped into one and disappeared. Baritone faced a portal and stared at it thoughtfully.

_The real world... Just like in Mother's rooms of memories... Will the real world look the same the way it was in Mother's world?_

Baritone's mind wandered into curiosity as he stepped into the portal. His body became engulfed in white light and teleported from the reservation area. He felt the rushing sensation as his body was catapulted into a dark wormhole-like space. Streams of white data past him at the speed of light. He finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and entered into an all-white void.

All was white around him. He couldn't see anything but white. He became anxious and tried to look down, but he couldn't even see his own hands. Baritone panicked and tried to cry out, but no sound came from his mouth. Even his own mouth seemed non-existent at the moment. Baritone felt as though his entire body was breaking down. At this point, he almost believed he was in the process of being deleted, but then the white world began to fade into black as he had reached his destination into the Copybot. He felt his consciousness immediately fall into a slumber.

"What's happening to me...?" Baritone asked himself as the void turned black altogether...


	7. The Nostalgia of Birth, An Interlude

In what seemed an eternity, Baritone's consciousness and senses began to register to new stimuli that seemed familiar, yet refreshingly new. Baritone felt his chest rise up and down rhythmically and his lungs breathe the cool yet plastic air. He also felt the quiet beating of his heart. All of these things were nonexistent in the cyber world, for they were unnecessary for an average Navi. Yet, Baritone wondered how his lungs and heart were able to function – much less exist. He tried to move his hands, but the attempt only resulted in the twitching of his fingers. He tried to open his heavy eyes and squinted as the white fluorescent light blinded him; thus, he closed his eyes shut once more.

_It's so bright..._

Baritone grunted as he sensed that he was laying on a platform that was inclined at an angle. Baritone struggled to get up. He managed to sit up, but his head was cast down and he supported himself by placing his hands on the platform. Baritone felt lethargic and another feeling seemed strange to him. His mind tried to form a phrase to describe the feeling. After a few seconds of musing while his eyes were closed, he remembered:

_It's cold.._

Baritone looked up and finally managed to open his eyes. His vision was blurry and couldn't focus initially, but his vision soon became sharper after a few blinks. Baritone realized he was in a large storage place full of Copybots. The mechanical skeletons were a white-washed color with transparent nodes on a few places on the body. Seeing all the silent, lifeless Copybots standing in neat rows was foreign to Baritone. He looked around to see if Megaman was around. He became nervous as he stepped down from the platform and his bare feet touched the cold, polished floor. Baritone then heard Megaman's voice somewhere some hundred yards away.

"...Baritone...? Where are you...?"

"Here! I'm here!" Baritone yelled in reply.

He was relieved to hear Megaman's voice, but he didn't want to be left alone in the cold place. Like a newborn foal that was able to walk a few hours after birth, Baritone immediately walked briskly to search Megaman. The pulsing sensation of his heartbeat made him even more nervous. His breathing quickened in fear.

_Where are you...? Where are you Megaman...?_

Just as Baritone turned at a corner, he encountered a familiar presence: Iris. The girl heard Baritone's approach and turned around, but she gasped in shock and quickly turned away.

"Iris...? How did you...? Which copy are...?"

"I'm... Iris... the Healing Unit System Navi..." Iris interrupted. Her face was still turned away from Baritone.

"What...? You mean your the real-"

"Please, wait here. I'll be right back." Iris said as she walked ahead.

"Wait, Iris! I..." Baritone didn't want to be left alone. He walked a few steps to follow Iris before he stopped as he saw Iris go towards the next aisle and grab hold of something white in her arms: a long lab coat. Her face was still turned away from Baritone. She unfurled the lab coat and held it out. When the coat was unfolded the hem reached down to the floor. Iris approached Baritone. She had closed her eyes at this point.

"Please wear this... You're... naked..." Iris uttered the last words and blushed in an awkward response.

"Naked...?" Baritone, in his fear and anxiety from his environment, hadn't looked at himself until now. He looked down at his body of a 12-year-old and blinked in surprise. Baritone lifted his pale arms and hands and marveled at them.

_I'm... human... What happened to my body...?_

In his confusion, he felt the white ab coat blanket his bare back. Baritone looked up and realized Iris was clothing him.

"Oh... Thank you..."

"...You're welcome..." Iris answered. She then took the flaps of the lab coat, covered Baritone and began to button the flaps of the coat together. She opened her eyes after she managed to place a few buttons together and finished the job. When she was done, she took each of Baritone's hands and folded the long sleeves to the correct length. Baritone's face flushed as he felt a refreshing feeling.

_I wonder if Mother and Father had this... feeling... when they were together...?_

When Iris was done, she looked at Baritone's face. Her grass green eyes met his sky blue eyes, and she calmed the last of Baritone's frazzled nerves. Iris smiled gently in quiet satisfaction.

"Where... am I...?" Baritone asked.

"You're in SciLab's Copybot reservation area. A Navi named Megaman has been looking for you." Iris then pointed straight down to a path. "If you go straight down here, you'll find him."

"Oh. Thank you, Iris."

"I must be on my way." Iris said as she passed Baritone and turned at a corner.

"Uhm, wait!" Baritone called out as he rushed to the corner. "Are you the-"

However, by the time he turned at the corner, Iris was nowhere to be seen. He looked ahead and saw 2 Copybots that were standing on a circular platform which was in the center of the entire storage place. One had grayish-black nodes and the other had light pink nodes. The 2 Copybots were attached to several wires. The Copybot with the pink nodes had the acronyms "IHUS" on the forehead and chest. The black-noded Copybot had the letters "CAUS" written on the same places.

"Where did she go...?" Baritone wondered. He then heard Megaman's voice nearby. Baritone looked for the exit and found Megaman standing nearby. The blue bomber couldn't help but gape in surprise.

"Baritone...? Is that... you...?"

"Yes."

"But, you're... human..."

"...I know. I don't know how I turned into a human."

"Are you... feeling OK? Are you feeling any pain?" Megaman asked.

"I think I'm alright. No, I don't feel any pain."

"I wonder if..." Megaman started to speak, but then stopped.

_I wonder if Baritone's in his human form because of his mother's heritage...?_ Megaman thought to himself.

"What is it?" Baritone asked.

"Nevermind, we'll talk about it later. Who gave you the lab coat?"

"...Iris. I didn't... have any other... clothes on when I woke up..."

"Oh... I see..." Megaman muttered awkwardly and scratched his head. "You must have met the real Iris. She and Colonel sometimes come to the real world for security and maintenance reasons."

_So she __**was**__ the real one..._ Baritone thought to himself.

"Sorry about leaving you behind," Megaman apologized. "Navis are transported into the Copybots that are charged at most power so that the other Copybots that have been used can recharge. So, sometimes Navis often end up being in random parts of the reservation area. I was in this front row. Where were you?"

"I think I was in the back." Baritone replied.

"Oh, no wonder I couldn't find you. Well, now that we're here, let's go see Patch."

"Sure."

Megaman and Baritone headed for the exit. Baritone looked back at the monotonous scenery of the rows of Copybots he first saw in his birth to the real world. In the cold mausoleum of the Copybots reservation area, the scent of the beautiful flower who clothed his naked body lingered in his mind. Baritone could almost swear he could still smell the sweet scent of Iris as he walked out of the exit door...


	8. Junior

"Baritone, be careful that you don't get lost here." Megaman said as he walked. Baritone was too busy looking down at a long window where there were several laboratories that were in session. Many scientists stood calmly as they took data over their test results over their respective experiments.

"What do those people do...?" Baritone asked.

"The scientists down there experiment with new technologies that they've worked on for a long time. They do that so that they can help people." Megaman replied.

Baritone took a glance at each window he passed by. At the main window, Baritone noticed several scientists who were milling about in a gigantic laboratory that had 2 large LCD screens plastered to the wall. The scientists monitored the data and information that were flickering across the screens. There, Baritone saw the royal benefactors of the entire Net: Colonel and Iris. Both Navis were standing on white pedestals with their arms outstretched and were motionless. However, he noticed that Iris looked different. Instead of the usual human form that he had previously met, the Iris that he saw looked like a Navi. The grass green eyes that Baritone had seen before were now veiled by her golden visors. She wore a sort of a blue oriental dress. Her shoulders and arms were bedecked with flower-shaped shoulder guards and arm gauntlets.

"That must be her true form..." Baritone remarked quietly as he followed Megaman.

Megaman stopped in front of a door and laid his hand on a screen near the door knob. He then inputted the password and the door opened in response. The 2 Navis saw Patch staring at a large cylinder tank that contained a Navi hologram. Patch turned around as he heard the door open.

"Uncle Hub!" Patch ran and hugged his digital uncle tightly. He peeked and saw Baritone following behind Megaman. "Hey, Baritone!"

"Hi!" Baritone smiled as he greeted.

"It's just 'Megaman'." The blue Navi said plainly to his nephew. He stared at the near-complete Megaman Junior who was in the cylinder tank. Megaman stared at his digital son proudly.

Baritone stared at Megaman Junior. Junior looked just like his father, only his armor was more of a violet-blue color and was slightly shorter than Megaman. In addition, Junior's armor had a rounder and a more sleek design than Megaman's.

"When will Megaman Junior be ready soon?" Patch asked urgently. Megaman checked the monitors and then answered Patch's question.

"He'll be ready to meet you in about a few minutes. He's going through some final adjustments before he can manage to wake up."

"Sweet!" Patch exclaimed excitedly.

"Who's the mother...?" Baritone asked as he stared at the two.

"Huh? Oh, Roll's the mother of Junior. She's Lan's wife's Navi." Megaman replied.

"Basically, my mom's Navi." Patch added.

"Oh." Baritone commented. He then heard the monitors beep, signaling that Megaman Junior was ready to awaken. Patch gasped in excitement and smiled widely.

Junior's eyes slowly opened. His bright, apple green eyes blinked a few times before he could focus his attention to the 3 new faces staring at him.

"Hi! I'm Megaman Junior." The Blue Bomber's son chirped energetically.

"...Hi, Junior..." Megaman replied in amazement. He smiled serenely. "It's great to see you awake. I'm... I'm..." At this, the father figure inside Megaman made him choke up nearly into tears.

"Oh, Uncle Hub." Patch said dully. Lan's son then turned to Junior and grinned. "He's your dad. So, that means we're cousins. I'm Patch, your Net Op."

"Oooh..." Junior replied in awe. He, too, grinned warmly. "Hi, Patch. It's great to be your Net Navi."

For the next few minutes, Patch and Junior just smiled childishly and laughed. For them, their initial meeting was the starting of a strong bond of not just familial love but also of friendship. For Megaman, the meeting was reminiscent of the time he and Lan had first met in their young days.

_Those were good times... _Megaman thought nostalgically.

"Let's get you transferred to Patch's PET, Junior." Megaman, who recovered from his temporary moment of being misty-eyed, started to initiate some protocols.

"Patch, place your PET in this slot here." Megaman point at the small chamber next to the keyboard.

Patched obeyed and did what he was told. Megaman then began to type some more on the keyboard and before long, Patch had his Net Navi. A few minutes later, Patch's PET rang. The boy activated his phone and on the holographic screen, he saw his father's grim stare.

"Patch. Get you, Megaman and Baritone to come back to the lab and-... Who's that white-haired guy next to you and Megaman?"

"It's Baritone." Megaman answered. "We can explain later. What's going on? Why do you sound urgent?"

"We found NeoForte..." Lan answered.


	9. Battle of the Infected

Baritone was stunned when he heard the forbidden name. He bent closer to the holographic screen.

"Where did you last see him?" He asked in an urgent tone.

"We'll explain later, but right now we need you and Megaman to come and help Searchman and Protoman. Hurry back to SciLabs as soon as you can!" Lan insisted.

"OK, we'll get there ASAP." Megaman assured as Lan hung up the phone.

"Time to run, guys," Megaman stated. "We have to go back directly to the lab that Lan and Dad are in." Baritone and Patch nodded as they followed Megaman to the lab.

Lan rushed toward the 3 when he heard them arrive to the laboratory. He briefly explained to them the situation.

"Protoman and Searchman, along with several Clone units, have been searching for NeoForte and found him in the Central Block. They've been trying to catch NeoForte, but he's infected the units. They have all malfunctioned and are now attacking both Navis!"

"Sweet! Now is the time I can use Junior!" Patch exclaimed as he started running toward the nearest jack port at the computer. Lan grabbed the back of Patch's shirt and yanked him away from the computer.

"No! You can't use Megaman Junior to fight the Units yet! He just got activated and now you're risking to get him deleted by powerful Colonel Units? I don't think so." Lan scolded. "Megaman, you should go on ahead and help Searchman and Protoman."

"Got it." Megaman said as he headed toward a row of cylindrical glass tubes. He stepped into one of them, and in a moment he jacked into the computer's main area and hopped into the hyperlink that led to Net City. The Copybot that Megaman had resided in was now standing still in the tube.

"I'm gonna go help, too." Baritone said as he headed toward a different tube. However, Lan called out and asked Baritone if he was sure he could handle the situation. Baritone replied hesitatingly with a yes, for he still wanted to help the others.

"If you ever feel like you need to get out of the situation, don't hesitate to do so." Lan advised.

"...OK." Baritone answered as he jacked into the computer and headed for the hyperlink.

"...Dad. Junior and I could've helped, too. Why did you stop me?" Patch complained. Lan turned to his son and bent down to where their eyes met.

"Patch, understand that I care about the safety of not just you, but also of Junior. He's not just your friend, but he's also your cousin... and Uncle Hub's son."

Patch was speechless as he remembered that he and Junior had a unique bond. He then nodded in agreement.

"I hope Uncle Hub and others will be alright..." Patch said as he stared at the computer screen, which depicted Searchman and Protoman fighting out the infected Units. He saw Megaman and Baritone arrive at the scene. Lan looked up and watch as he said the same thing:

"I hope so, too."

As soon as Megaman logged into Net City, he started shooting several infected Colonel Units. The shots made the Units recoil in slight pain.

"You guys OK?" Megaman asked as he and Baritone helped Protoman and Searchman back up to their feet.

"Wily sure has programmed the Colonel Units to be strong." Protoman groaned.

"I take back what I implicitly said about the Units being lame..." Searchman choked as he stood on his feet.

Baritone, Megaman, Protoman and Searchman found themselves surrounded by a large group of Colonel copies that were infected by NeoForte. NeoForte was was well hidden behind a tall building that was a long distance away from the group.

"There you are..." NeoForte hissed as he saw the battle progress. He summoned his Dark Arm Blade, albeit a bugged blade and held it like a harpoon. NeoForte made an aim at the white Navi. Baritone was unaware that the Black Viper was about to strike him.

"Time to say goodbye... Baritone... Heheheheheheh..."

"Baritone Rake!" Baritone activated his double busters and shot several blasts at the oncoming copies. The Colonel copies stepped back in recoil to the force of the shots. More kept advancing toward the 4 Navis.

"Time to use some Battlechips." Lan called out as a screen appeared behind Megaman.

"Battlechips...?" Baritone echoed curiously as he stood next to Protoman and Searchman to defend them.

"Great! Operate away, Lan!" Megaman said as he prepared for battle.

"Wide Blade! Life Aura! Battlechips in, download!" Lan inserted a couple chips into his PET.

In response, Megaman's right arm formed into a crimson Wide Blade and a powerful aura enveloped around him.

"Area Steal!" Lan loaded an Area Steal chip.

Megaman dashed at the Colonel Units and, at the last second, disappeared. He reappeared behind the Units and slashed at them. The Units roared in pain and anger as they charged toward Megaman.

"Anti-Damage!"

The blue bomber was on a roll. When the Colonel units thought that they had Megaman right were they wanted him, a cloud of smoke exploded around him. When the smoke cleared, only the lanky Megaman doll remained. The units looked around as to where the Blue Bomber disappeared, but they were slashed by the his sword once more from behind them.

Protoman and Searchman attacked the Colonel Units with their sword and sniper, respectively. They sliced and shot through the Units. Some of the Units began to disintegrate into deletion.

"Heaven's Rolling!" Baritone lifted both of his arms in the air as two bluish-white, jagged energy rotated rapidly around in his arms. He then whipped his arms forward and slammed the energy down towards the ground. The shocking energy formed into 2 wheels that ripped through several Colonel Clones. Some of the Clones were deleted, yet the 4 Navis still had a long way to go.

"There's way too many of them!" Searchman shouted as he used his Search Sniper to shoot several bullets at the copies. A holographic screen that depicted Lan then flashed behind Megaman.

"I'll send the protocol to bring in some of the Greek Colonel units!" Lan informed.

In a few seconds, 4 Colonel units then materialized before Baritone's eyes. He noticed that each Colonel had a different Greek symbol that was red and emblazoned with gold outlines on their foreheads.

"Greek Colonel units Gamma, Theta, Tau and Omega! Stop the Clones!" Lan commanded. In response, the Greek Colonel units summoned their blades and aided Protoman, Searchman and Baritone. All 4 of them roared as they unleashed a wave of Screen Dividers. The Greek Colonel units' attacks shredded the remaining numbers of the infected Clone Colonel unit. The rest of the Clones disintegrated into thin air.

Megaman and Protoman then retracted their swords, and Searchman lowered his gun. Baritone deactivated his double busters and exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Mission accomplished." The Greek Colonel squadron stated simultaneously.

"Thanks for the help, you guys." Megaman thanked.

"You're welcome." Colonel unit Gamma spoke. "It is a shame though that our fellow brothers had to be destroyed, but it had to be done..."

"Sorry about that..." Megaman consoled.

"Seems like we lost sign of NeoForte." Protoman remarked.

"Well, we'll just have to look for him again." Searchman huffed.

"Uhm, I can help wi-"

"Watch out!"

Before Baritone could finish his sentence, Colonel Gamma charged at Baritone and tackled him. Baritone fell onto the ground and grunted in pain. He looked up and saw Colonel Gamma roaring in agony as a long, corrupted Dark Arm Blade pierced Colonel Gamma through the abdomen. Clumps of data began to spill out from Colonel Gamma as he collapsed onto the ground.

"Colonel Gamma!" Baritone cried out. He reached out toward the injured Navi, who snarled in reply.

"Don't! ...Don't... touch me!"

"But your-"

"I said don't! If this is... the same enemy that... bugged the Clones we deleted earlier... then I might go... berserk as well..." Colonel Gamma choked as the effects of the bugs began to overtake his will.

Baritone was at a loss of what had to be done. He wanted to help Colonel Gamma, but he knew that Colonel Gamma could attack or infect him as well. He bit his lip as he rushed at Colonel Gamma's side.

"I just can't let you get deleted like this!" Baritone said as he placed his hands a few inches above the wound. "Soul Heal!"

Baritone's body glowed a soft bluish-white hue as healing data began to pour from his hands. The bugged Dark Arm Blade dissipated and the gaping wound began to heal. Just as Baritone was about to finish, another bugged Dark Arm Blade was harpooned at him. Baritone looked up and cried out in fear. Fortunately, Searchman shot the blade with his sniper and the impact directed the blade away from Baritone and struck the ground instead.

"Found him." Searchman stated as he analyzed the direction where the Dark Arm Blade previously came from. "NeoForte's hiding behind that tall building. I'll go after him. Colonel units Theta, Tau and Omega! I'll need your assistance."

The remaining 3 Greek Colonel units nodded and followed Searchman.

"I'll be helping out Searchman. You and Baritone make sure Colonel Gamma will be alright." Protoman said to Megaman as he went with Searchman's group. Megaman nodded and watched over Baritone to make sure no harm would come upon Baritone, who was healing Colonel Gamma.

"Is he... going to be alright?" Megaman asked.

"I think so. I'm relieved that Colonel Gamma didn't lash at us." Baritone answered.

Colonel Gamma was panting heavily and his body shook. When the wound had at last closed up, Colonel Gamma finally relaxed and breathed normally.

"Thank... you..." Colonel Gamma whispered weakly. A few seconds later, a holographic screen flashed in front of Megaman.

"Lan!" Megaman exclaimed.

"Megaman! Are you and Baritone alright?" Lan asked.

"We're both fine." Megaman answered.

"OK, Megaman. You go on with Protoman and Searchman. Baritone, I'll open up a portal for you to return to SciLabs."

"But... What about Colonel Gamma?" Baritone asked.

"Don't worry. We'll bring him back and treat him in the lab as well." Lan replied.

At this, Baritone relaxed. A portal then opened up in front of him. Lan motioned Baritone to enter the portal. Baritone heeded Lan and then disappeared into a column of light. Lan then sent a protocol to retrieve Colonel Gamma back to the SciLabs. Colonel Gamma then teleported out of sight as well.

"Alright, I'm gonna head off and join Searchman and Protoman." Megaman stated.

"Be careful." Lan warned.

"You used be a lot more reckless when you were younger." Megaman commented with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I'll be careful." Megaman then ran off to join the hunt for NeoForte.

Lan laughed at himself. "Now that I think about it, I was reckless when I was younger. Oh, well. Looks like I'm mellowing out with age."


	10. Cryptic Clues & Hazardous Hunt

A woman stepped out of the gates of the Electopian airport. She wore beige, high-heeled fur boots, black leggings, a red fur coat with a dark belt that wrapped her waist, and a black, cylindrical hat. Her goldenrod hair brushed against her cheeks in the face of the wind, and her large, orb-shaped sapphire earrings glistened in the sunlight. In one arm, she was holding a white lab coat. In her hand, she was holding several old sheets that had a jargon of musical notes and symbols written on them. Her sharp, emerald eyes were focused onto the musical notes that were in her hand. She muttered out what she was reading with a hint of a soft, Russian accent.

"Marcatto, sotto voce... Bass clef, Forte... Decrescendo ...E, E, C, A... D, E, E, C... Marcatto, A, C, D, C, Marcatto... C, A, B... Pianissimo... Subito, sforzando piano... Perdendo, smorzando, morendo... Dal niente... Crescendo, pianoforte... In relievo... A colon... Wait, it must be the repeat sign... Project Trichotomy... Mikhail Cossak... Well, I've figured out bits and pieces of this. Project Trichotomy..."

The woman walked toward the Metroline station and ordered a ticket for a ride to SciLabs. She carefully put the musical sheets into her laptop bag as she headed toward the train.

"Project Trichotomy must have been a top-secret project for Father to leave a cryptic message for me to go all the way to SciLabs in Electopia... I wonder..." The woman thought as she boarded the Metroline train, sat in her seat, and looked at the window. She stared at some Navis outside who, with the help of the Copybot technology, were traveling with their Net Ops' as companions. Other Navis worked at the ticket booths or were helping passengers carry their luggage.

The woman's thoughts were interrupted when the train conductor announced that the Metroline would be leaving in a few minutes.

"I should probably get my passport and lab ID out in advance as I head to SciLab..." The woman said to herself as she dug through her bag and took both of her items out. On her black passport, the words "The Union of Sharo Republics" were embroidered in gold. On the lab ID, her name was labeled "Kalinka Cossak".

Meanwhile, Protoman and Searchman's group were chasing after NeoForte in the cyberworld. The group leaped from building to building NeoForte giggled as he looked back at the group and taunted them.

"So, you've managed to find me already in this game of hide and seek? Then let's have some more fun through this game of tag! Catch me if you can! Wahahahahahahahaha!" NeoForte shrieked like a maniac.

"Not on my watch!" Searchman growled as he signaled the 3 Greek Colonel units to dash ahead and surround NeoForte. The bugged Navi retaliated by tossed a couple of orbs of bugs at the Colonel units. The 3 units successfully dodged the bugs.

"Good, good! Let's see if you can play dodge ball with these!" NeoForte threw a flurry of bugged orbs at the team. Searchman shot at the orbs with his sniper, and they exploded into several sludge-like pieces at the impact. The bugged sludge then rained down toward the group.

"Don't let the bugs touch you!" Searchman warned as he jumped backwards to avoid the raining bugs.

"Protoman, I'm sending in a Variable Sword!" A hologram screen blinked next to Protoman and Chaud was depicted in the screen.

"Recieved!" Protoman confirmed. His left arm morphed into a hammerhead-pointed blade.

Protoman swung his blade at NeoForte and unleashed a wave of Sonic Boom in an attempt to redirect the flying bug particles and bombs that were coming towards him and his companions. While some of the particles were pushed away by the Sonic Boom attacks, clumps of bugs continued to rain down mercilessly upon Protoman, Searchman and the 3 Colonel units.

"Argh! The more we try to stop NeoForte's bombs, the more bug particles rain down on us!" Protoman noted as he dashed in a zigzag pattern to avoid getting infected by the sprinkling bugs. He was too focused on trying to dodge the incoming bugs.

"Protoman! Watch out in fro-!" Chaud warned Protoman a tad too late. The next thing Protoman saw before him was NeoForte's face that was plastered with a wide-eyed, insane expression. In that quick moment, Protoman saw NeoForte's bug-infested face that seemed to eat away NeoForte's left cheek, exposing his teeth. NeoForte's left eye was also slightly bulging out and blood-shot as the bugs had completely infected his eye. Protoman winced in disgust.

"Hello..." NeoForte hissed eerily. "Are you enjoying my game...?"

"Shoot!" Protoman uttered as he quickly backed away from NeoForte. The crimson Navi held his sword defensively against the manic copy of the Black Shadow. Protoman was about to go in for the kill before he stopped dead in his tracks as he heard Searchman's agonizing yell behind him. He whipped his head around to see Searchman being attacked by the 3 Colonel units, who were infected by bugs.

"No! How could the Colonel units have been infected?" Protoman cried out frustration. He then noticed that most of the bugs were concentrated on each of the Colonel unit's capes.

iOf course! The bugs must've got caught on their capes and then spread onto the Colonel units' bodies!/i Protoman thought.

"Yes! And now you and your green friend will be next!" NeoForte shouted as he made a mad dash at the red Navi with a bugged Dark Arm Blade in his hand...

"You feeling OK, Baritone?" Lan asked as he examined Baritone. The young white Navi was back to being a human – and wearing nothing but a lab coat over himself.

"We'll need to get you some actual clothes for you to wear." Lan commented as he scratched his head. He then heard the double doors slide open as Mr. Famous entered the room.

Even after 20 years, Mr. Famous was persistent in wearing cool, hipster wardrobes and spiked accessories, albeit to a lesser extent. However, his face was beginning to show crow's feet on his eyes and wrinkles on his forehead that were carved by time.

"Mr. Famous!" Lan greeted warmly.

"It's just Famous, for crying out loud! You still hold onto the formalities even after when you got married and had Patch!" Mr. Famous replied in a slightly mocking tone. Famous still knew Lan was just teasing around, so he smirked as he scolded Lan.

"I still find it fun to poke you about that." Lan laughed. "So, what's new?"

"There's a person who wants to meet Yuichiro. She's coming in about a minute or so." Mr. Famous answered. "But, I do wonder why a pretty young lady would want to meet with grumpy, old Yuichiro. Hahaha!"

"Famous, don't jump into farfetched conclusions." Yuichiro dismissed Famous' remark. Yuichiro then heard the double entrance doors slide open, and the blonde woman with emerald eyes walked into the room calmly. She gasped lightly when she glanced at Baritone. Her eyes examined Baritone's face thoroughly before she quickly refocused her attention at the scientists.

Patch noticed Kalinka's gesture and nudged Baritone in the arm.

"Hey, that lady was staring at you like she knew you or something... Do you know her...?" Patch whispered.

"I don't know her... But, her last name was Cossak, right...? Cossak was the last name of my parents' father..." Baritone whispered back.

"What? You mean your parents are basically siblings...?"

"Well, my mother told me that she and my father are not related by blood. Besides, my father is a pure NetNavi while my mother used to be human and was adopted. But, well..." Baritone's voice trailed off as he watched the blonde woman talked with the other 3 scientists.

"Hello. My name is Doctor Kalinka Cossak." Kalinka introduced herself as she pulled out her passport and lab ID.

"Cossak? You mean your the daughter of Dr. Mikhail Cossak? And your a scientist, too?" Yuichiro asked in surprise.

"Yes, I am." Kalinka replied. "Is Dr. Yuichiro Hikari available?"  
"That would be me." Yuichiro answered.

Kalinka smiled then took a step toward Yuichiro to shake his hand as she talked about how her father knew Yuichiro many years ago.

"Yes, my father knew Dr. Cossack many years back since the Alpha Project." Yuichiro explained.

"I see... I'm here to try to figure out what my father was trying to tell me through these musical sheets." Kalinka said as she pulled out the music sheets.

"Musical sheets?" Famous inquired.

"Yes, I used to play the piano and perform ballet when I was a young girl." Kalinka explained as she walked to the nearest table and laid out the music sheets. She told the 3 scientists of Project Trichotomy and how she found out that the notes corresponded to the names of locations.

"E, E, C, A... is Electopia, the country. D, E, E, C... is DenTech City, the main city borough. A, C, D, C... stands for ACDC Town. And finally, C, A, B stands for SciLabs, which is near ACDC Town," Kalinka explained. "Although, I don't know what Project Trichotomy is, I would assume I would be able to discover more in SciLabs. Do you know which office my father used to work in, Dr. Hikari?"

"I'm impressed with your deciphering skills, Dr. Cossak. Well, from what I've heard, the office that Mikhail used to work in has been renovated repeatedly since his leave. All of the old computers in Mikhail's office were disposed of and replaced with newer ones." Yuichiro answered.

"Perhaps my father might have stored the information archives somewhere in SciLab's computers?"

"Unfortunately, SciLab's archives are off-limits to non-personnel. Nobody other than SciLab scientists can access it." Yuichiro explained.

"Then, would it be alright if you may search for my father's archives for me? Or, can I access them under your supervision?" Kalinka asked.

"We can try to search the files for you, but I don't know if anything will come up, considering that the computers are programmed to erase old and unused files every 10 years. Once they're deleted, the files are almost impossible to recover."

"Oh, you won't have to worry about that, Dr. Hikari. I may be a scientist, but I also specialize in data recovery and retrieval." Kalinka spoke confidently.

"Well... If that's the case, I can take you to the lab that stores the old archives later in the evening. Currently, we have a dilemma to solve..." Yuichiro said.

"And, what would that be...?" Kalinka inquired.

Kalinka's question was answered by Chaud's incoming call. A window popped open in the giant computer screen and showed Chaud's tense expression.

"Lan, I'm sending Protoman and Searchman into SciLabs." Chaud announced.

"Why? What's wrong?" Lan asked.

Chaud sighed as he closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose before he answered Lan's question.

"They've been infected? What about the 3 remaining Colonel Units?"

"Went berserk and attacked Protoman and Searchman before NeoForte finally finished them off." Chaud answered briefly.

"Oh, no..." Lan groaned.

"Raika and I had no choice but to jack out Searchman and Protoman... and to call off the search. Both Navis are barely functioning right now."

"I'll switch the computer into safe mode so that it can start up the recovery program for both of them as soon as they arrive." Lan said as he typed away the desired protocols.

"Alright." Chaud said as he pressed a few buttons to signal Protoman and Searchman's arrival.

"Oh, no..." Lan gaped in shock when he saw Protoman and Searchman. Their bodies were torn with bug data. Both Navis twitched and moaned as the recovery program began to operate on them.

"My goodness..." Kalinka grimaced and shook her head.

"With some rest and time, Protoman and Searchman's data should be restored completely." Lan deducted.

"A word of warning, Lan. If Megaman or any Navi encounters NeoForte, make sure they don't touch him or get hit by his bugs. From what I've seen, NeoForte's bugs have become very potent." Chaud cautioned gravely.

"Got it." Lan replied.

"I'll be coming later tonight and tell you more about the incident later. I've got a company meeting in about an hour or so."

"I still wonder how you can handle being the Net Official leader and president of Blaze Tech." Lan remarked.

"Save the idle chat later. I'm leaving." Chaud said abruptly as he turned off his phone.

"...Looks like Chaud's in a sour mood." Lan shrugged.

"...So, what's all this search for some Navi named NeoForte?" Kalinka asked.

"Oh, I thought you would've known. NeoForte's come back – again after all these years for whatever reason." Lan answered with a slight tinge of sarcasm.

"But, who is NeoForte exactly...?"

"He's basically a clone of Bass." Lan answered. He noticed Kalinka cringing and frowning at his answer.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"...I apologize. Hearing that name just..." Kalinka answered as she shook her head. "Anyway, it's really nothing to be concerned about."

"Oh..."

"I'm be interested in touring SciLabs, if you don't mind. The labs here are quite different from the ones back in Sharo." Kalinka remarked. "And, I hear that the Colonel Attack and Iris Healing Unit systems are headquartered here in SciLabs. Would you mind if you could show me the systems? It's a rare treat to be able to see the 2 greatest systems that monitor and protect the entire global network."

"I doubt that the systems should be considered the greatest if most of the copies are getting infected and deleted as of now..." Mr. Famous muttered in Lan's ear. Lan, however, ignored Mr. Famous' comment and answered Kalinka's request with a yes.

"My dad helped Dr. Wily in developing the 2 systems as well." Lan boasted as he pointed at Yuichiro.

"No, really. The credit should go to Dr. Wily for creating the systems," the flattered Yuichiro said.

"This is getting boring..." Patch commented as he and Baritone were overhearing the conversation between the adults.

In the midst of the conversations, the double doors then slid open again as a young, 12-year-old girl entered the lab. She bore much resemblance to Chaud, only she had dark chocolate eyes and her long hair was braided into a ponytail. Her shoes made light tapping sounds as she walked in.

"Hi, Cherry!" Patch chirped excitedly as he went towards the girl.

"I-It's not 'Cherry", Patch! It's 'Charity'!" Charity corrected, albeit in an embarrassed tone.

"Yeah, but your mom calls you 'Cherry' and I like the nickname better." Patch teased. Charity could only huff in response, for she wasn't sure of how to deal with Patch's occasional teasing.

"So, what are you doing here?" Patch asked.

"I've finished my homework, so that means I can hang out." Charity said proudly. Patch grimaced. Apparently, he had yet to start on his homework.

"...Yeah... I haven't exactly finished... But, oh well. Hehehe..."

"Patch, you're so bad with time management. And you come from a family line of scientists, for crying out loud." Charity scolded. Patch pretended to not hear Charity's statement.

"Well, anyway... You wanna go hang out at the arcade, Charity? I just got my Navi today!"

"Sure." Charity agreed until she saw Baritone a few feet away, which sparked her curiosity. "Who's that guy in the white lab coat?"

"Oh, him? That's Baritone. He's actually a Navi... Well, part Navi. Pretty cool, huh?" Patch answered.

"No way! You're kidding! Navis can't look like humans! And how can they be 'part' Navis?" Charity exclaimed.

"No, really! He is!"

Charity rushed over towards Baritone. Baritone was startled at Charity's action and stood still as Charity stared at him in awe.

"Wooow... You have sapphire-blue eyes and silvery hair, Baritone. You look every bit human to me. Are you really a Navi?"

"Um... Yes... Well, I guess so..." Baritone stammered.

"Did I mention that Baritone's naked under that lab coat?" Patch randomly asked. Charity's face turned red in response.

"W-Well... A g-guy shouldn't be w-walking naked in public! ...Oh! The mall! L-Let's go to the mall, and b-buy him some clothes!" Charity said as she grabbed Patch and Baritone's wrists and dragged them along with her out of the lab. The 2 boys had no choice but to comply to Charity's demands. The adults were so busy in their own conversation that only Lan bothered to call out to the 3 kids who were rushing out the doors.

"Hey there, Charity! Nice to see you around! And Patch, I better see your homework completely finished by tonight!"


	11. New Friendships, Baritone's Interlude

Sapphire-blue eyes... Silvery hair...

That's how Charity describes me as. She seems to be a nice and strong girl in my eyes. There's something slightly sparky about her personality. I guess I could describe Charity as a small flame that can burst into a strong fire.

Iris, on the other hand... I remember her as though she was a quiet brook that would flow for miles.

And that woman... Kalinka Cossak. I never knew that my grandfather, Mikhail Cossak, would actually have a biological daughter. And I don't remember Mother and Father ever telling me about Ms. Cossak... I wonder if my parents ever knew about her...

Unfortunately, I can't ponder for too long as Charity pulls me and Patch by the wrists. I'm amazed that Charity can find her way around SciLabs all by herself. She manages to take us outside of the SciLabs' doors and lets go of our wrists. Then, she takes out her thin pink PET, and I hear her talking to her Navi to get something called the "limousine" ready.

...Oh, wow...

I can't believe my own eyes! So, this is what the human world really looks like! And here I thought SciLabs was really different from the cyber world! I guess the human world has changed a lot over the years...

There's a large square area where there are other people walking around. There are also trees in some places. I see a couple eating something as they talk to each other in the bench. And then there's a group of people walking around or standing in front of a large statue in the square. Looks like the leader of the group is talking about the statue. Some of the people seem to be taking pictures... And is that an artist over there who's painting the statue...?

Oh! And beyond the square, there's a wide road that seems to go a long way. There are quite a lot of cars going in both directions. I look up and see that there are so many tall buildings with sea-blue glass shimmering in the afternoon sun. They're beautiful... The buildings remind me of the cyber world, yet these buildings don't seem to be as tall as the towers in the cyber world. Unlike the cyber world, there aren't any floating cyber roads in the sky or flashing holographic advertisements either. Most of the advertisements I see are in these screen monitors that are integrated in some of the buildings' walls.

And the sky... As I look up at the sky right now, the sunlight is really bright. I shield my eyes from the bright golden beams. The puffy, white clouds look like giant pillows that anybody could sleep on forever...

...Oh! A long, black car is coming up to the roadside! There's a man in a dark suit and hat coming out from it and is greeting Charity. So, that long, black car must be a limousine...

Charity grabs both mine and Patch's wrists again and drags us into the limousine. As I step inside, I'm awed to see the spacious interior. When I sit down, the seats are very comfy. There's even a... how do I describe it... a polished and sophisticated smell that's fit for a limousine that looks brand new and clean.

Before we get on, Charity goes in first to get something. Then, she comes back out of the limousine and hands me a pair of pink croc shoes for me to wear. She says that it wouldn't be safe to walk barefoot, so the crocs will have to do for now. I nod in agreement and put them on before I get into the limousine.

Charity tells her butler to drive to the Den Tech Mall, and the butler nods in affirmation. I feel the car starting to move and soon enough the scenery starts to change as we travel down the road. I see more cars of all shapes and colors passing by. There's even several giant ones that Patch says are called "buses". People and even Navis are walking along and across the streets, too. I nearly fall into a daze as I look at the changing scenery that's beyond the window...

Eventually, the 3 of us make it to the DenTech Mall. I was speechless as I stared at the colossal building. It was practically 5 stories tall! The building looked like it would take up many acres of the area. The parking lot areas were even larger...

Charity, Patch and I all get out of the limousine. As we head towards the entrance, I can sense the people staring at us and hear their murmurs...

"What is the daughter of the Blaze president doing walking with that scrawny boy...?" A woman whispers.

"Since when did they start doing charity work for the poor?" A teenage boy snickered.

"Looks like even the Hikari family brainwashes young children to become scientists!"

"Hey, look at that white-haired dude over there... He looks like a lab rat! Get it? Hahahah!"

...I notice that Patch and Charity become apprehensive and walk with me on each side. I realize I was only wearing an oversized lab coat over me and nothing else. I have a feeling that Charity and Patch are trying to usher me into the mall as fast as possible to avoid embarrassment...

When we get inside, I apologize to them for causing them trouble, but they just smile and reassure that it's alright. I smile back in relief.

We manage to find a clothing store for "tweens". I'm not sure what that word means, but most of the clothing I've seen would fit Charity, Patch or me. I guess that means we're tweens then.

Charity rushes into the boys section of the store and starts digging around to find suitable clothes. She takes a quick glance at each article of clothing before she flips to the next. Patch just stands around and looks lazily at the clothes. He tells me that girls are shopaholics and love nothing but clothes. Charity denies adamantly with a huff and continues searching.

I start looking at the aisle and look at each clothing intently. There are shirts and pants of many different colors and styles. There are shirts that are short-sleeved or long-sleeved. There are also pants and shorts, too. Some of the pants even have ripped holes in them!

I'm interrupted by Charity who pokes my shoulder from behind. I turn around, and gawk as I see her arms filled with many shirts and pants. Charity then drops them at a nearby bench and her eyes were shining with a mischievous glare and had a creepy smile.

"Which one would you like to try on first...?"

I break out in a cold sweat as to how I could answer Charity's question.

"I told you that girls love clothes." Patch states.

"Fine, then." Charity huffs. "But, Baritone will have plenty of options to choose from with these. Oh... and p-pick his underwear f-for him, Patch."

"Hey, d-don't say that out loud!" Patch stutters.

"J-Just hurry up and get Baritone w-what he needs!" Charity snaps.

Patch grumbles and does what Charity asks. He looks around a bit before he finds a plain white underwear and shows it to us. Charity covers her eyes in disgust.

"Ew! I don't wanna see a guy's underwear!" Charity squeals.

"You asked for it, so there." Patch retorts.

"Just give me the price tag, and get Baritone to wear it! And be sure that he still has the lab coat on!" Charity demands.

...After the underwear scenario, Charity hands me the mountain of clothes that she found for me and tells me to go to the dressing room to try them out.

At first, I was hesitant to try putting an outfit on... and there were a few mishaps, but the process later became a routine. I tried on each clothing in different combinations until I found the one I was most comfortable with. Sometimes Patch couldn't help but burst out laughing. Charity would whack him whenever he did laugh.

Eventually, I settle on a white, long-sleeved shirt with a blue stripe that runs down vertically in the middle of my shirt. My blue jeans extend down a little beyond my ankles and my dark blue shoes cover my once bare feet. I smile at myself as I look in the mirror. I come out of the dressing room and tell them that I like this outfit.

"Hmmm..." Charity muses as she walks around me and examines my wardrobe. My eyes follow her motion a bit nervously.

"I like it! It really suits you, Baritone!" Charity exclaims excitedly.

"You look really 'cool'." Patch comments with a friendly grin.

"OK, time to buy these clothes!" Charity says as she takes me by the wrist and drags me to the front where a person whom humans call a "cashier" is standing. I hear Patch calling out to Charity to wait so he can catch up with us.

I didn't realize that in the human world, they have to buy things and pay for them. I always content with everything that I had when I was with Mother and Father. I wonder where humans get money...?

Well, when the transaction is done, the 3 of us start heading out the clothing store and walk into a square plaza in the mall. Patch suggests that we should go get ice cream. Charity agrees as well. I, on the other hand, am clueless as to what ice cream is.

"It's a cold, sweet dessert that's really good!" Patch explains as he approaches an ice cream shop and asks for 3 cones. He turns around and asks what flavors we want.

"I want strawberry!" Charity says.

"Uhm... What kinds of flavors are there?" I ask.

"Well, there's vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies 'n cream..." Patch just goes on in the list.

"Uh... I'll try... vanilla..." I answer nervously. Patch responds with an OK and gets the 3 ice cream cones. He hands us our cones and starts licking his chocolate ice cream.

I hesitantly lick my vanilla ice cream, and the cold sensation sends goosebumps on my body. The memories of the cold Copybot room return in a snap. But then... the taste... It's different... It's sweet and good. The ice cream tastes really good...! I like it!

When we finish our ice cream, we start walking around once more until we come across something called a "Net Battle Plaza". Lots of people are crowding around in this huge area as they gather around some of the Net Battle domes where people can battle each other. I see 2 people in the central dome are using their Navis to fight. Later, the Net Battle Arena system's intercom announces in a monotone voice:

"Winner is Max Ogreon and ."

The small crowd around the central battle dome then shout and scream in joy as the lights shine down upon a blonde boy with cold green eyes. I notice that Patch gets worked up at the excitement and becomes determined to battle the blonde guy. As much as Charity tries to stop Patch, he manages to step into the arena and climb up to the platform to challenge the blonde boy.

"Uuuugh! Patch is such an idiot!" Charity grumbles as she slaps her palm onto her forehead.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Patch received his first Net Navi JUST today, right? Yet, he's about to battle a high-level Net Operator! Max Ogreon is well known for being a powerful Net Op. Patch is way out of his league! Sometimes, I just don't understand boys." Charity grumbles and shakes her head.

"Oh..." I respond as I watch curiously at Patch and Max as the battle begins to unfold.

"Alright, Max! Today, I can finally battle you and your Navi!" Patch exclaims.

"You?" Max responds disdainfully. "You're a complete amateur. Go play with the other shrimps."

"You just wait and see." Patch retorts as he jacks in his Navi, Megaman Junior, into the battle dome.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Jack-in. Sterling. Power up!" Max sends his Navi into the battle dome as well.

The contestants are depicted on a holographic screen that shines above the dome for all the people to see. I take a look at Max's Navi, Sterling. His Navi seems to have a similar body build as Patch's Navi, Junior. But, I notice that Sterling is slightly taller than Junior and has these long arms and large hands. His large forearm and gauntlets look as powerful as an elephant's. Sterling also has a ponytail of 5 rings attached to the back of his head.

As soon as the intercom announces the start of the battle and the loud buzzing noise goes off, the 2 Net Battlers and their Navis fight. As the battle goes on, I begin to realize that what Charity said was right...

Max's Navi starts off with a powerful quake attack and a couple of shockwaves rush toward Junior. Patch fumbles as he tries to operate his Navi. I hear Patch panicking as he tries to operate Junior in the Net Battle.

"Ch-Charity! How do I operate Junior? Th-There's no directional pad on this PET! And where are the Battle Chips? Wait... I don't even have any Battle Chips! Aaaargh!" Patch exclaims in panic.

I look at Charity and she only responded with a gasp. Her face portrayed wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Then, I hear the crowd laughing hysterically. Oh, no... Something tells me this is going to end very badly...

I look back up at the holographic screen to see how the battle was going. Junior was unable to dodge Sterling's Shockwave attack and was hit. Before Junior could even recover from his recoil, Sterling makes a punching gesture... and his arm stretches across the battle field! His flying hand curls into a fist and hits Junior in the stomach. Sterling's outstretched hand and arm then retracts back to normal length.

Junior gets tossed backwards and grunts as he collapses onto the floor in pain. At this point, I feel very bad for Patch and Junior being beaten by Max and Sterling...

"Patch you're an absolute idiot for challenging me to a Net Battle. You're an insult to an elite Net Battler like me. Sterling, show them who they're messing with!" Max commands. Sterling obeys silently and charges at Junior.

Junior could only shield himself with his forearms as Sterling pummels him hard with powerful punches. He looks like he won't be able to last much longer...

Junior flies backwards after taking so many punches from Sterling. I hear Patch helplessly call out to his Navi to get back up on his feet. Unfortunately, Junior looks too tired to even try sitting up...

"Sterling, finish 'em!" Max orders. Sterling nods and starts walking towards Junior with a clenched fist.

Just as Sterling is within a few yards away from Junior, I hear Charity logging her Navi into the Net Battle dome:

"Jack-in, ! Power up! Blossom, protect Megaman Junior!"

The pink floral Navi stands between Sterling and Junior with her arms outstretched to protect Junior.

"Now, now. Sterling, that's no way to Net Battle. Bullying is a no-no." Blossom says in a playful tone and wiggles her index finger sideways.

Sterling ignores and continues to walk towards her and Junior. Blossom's tone becomes much more serious. Her green eyes glare at Sterling like an angry cat.

"Don't push me, Sterling. I can turn nasty if you force me to. You already had your fill, so you log out and have fun gloating with your Net Op about your victory. There's nothing more to win in this battle anyway."

Meanwhile, Charity steps up to the Net Battle Dome platform and confronts Max to stop the NetBattle.

"Why should I stop the NetBattle? It's his own fault for not knowing his place. I'm just correcting his mistake, that's all." Max argues nonchalantly.

"Fine, then...!" Charity snatches Patch's PET from his limp hands. Patch was just crestfallen and speechless at this point. Charity manually logs Junior out and then her own Navi.

"Megaman has logged out of the Net Battle arena and forfeits the match. Max and wins." The monotonous intercom announces. I hear a cacophony of cheers and laughter in the crowd.

"There. Happy now, Max? You won the Net Battle, so buzz off." Charity retorted.

"Tch, if you dare get in my way, you'll only end up getting beaten." Max argued.

"Tell that to my dad, prissy boy." Charity taunted as she turned around and took Patch by the arm and led him down the platform.

After the crowd dissipated, I go to Charity and Patch's side and see how they are doing. Charity doesn't say a word to Patch. Poor Patch... He's a sad sight to see. His head was down in shame as he stared at his PET. I faintly hear him whispering an apology to his Navi. He then wipes his face, takes a deep breath, and lifts his head up with a smile.

"Hey, so now that that's over, wanna go to the arcade? I hear they got some sweet racing games there. I'm gonna head there to play if you guys need me." Patch smiled and jogged over towards the arcade.

"...He doesn't want to admit it..." Charity sighed when Patch was far enough to not hear her. "He's probably crying in the inside. Wanna follow him to the arcade?"

"Um, sure." I reply. I start walking with Charity towards the arcade when I notice someone pass me by.

Wait... Is that... Iris? I wonder why she's here...? My feet act faster than my mind as I start running towards her. I zigzag left and right to avoid bumping into people, but unfortunately I end up crashing into the same guy with the blonde hair. The recoil sends me falling to the ground on my behind.

Max glares down at me and I could only stare back anxiously...

"Watch where you're going." Max growls as he turns and walks away. I let out a sigh of relief. Charity dashes to my side.

"Hey! What were you doing running around like that?" Charity asks.

"Sorry, I-I saw Iris pass me by and..." I stutter as I try to explain.

"Oh, you must be talking about the Iris Clones. They not only make repairs in the cyber world but they also assist people and Navis in the human world in case there are accidents or injuries." Charity explained.

"Oh... So, that Iris was a Clone..." I muttered.

"What?" Charity didn't hear what I said. I smile and tell her it was nothing to worry about.

"Well, let's catch up with Patch and play some games." Charity smiled as she took my wrist and helped me get back up to my feet. We headed towards the arcade where Patch was.

...In my mother's mental network, I could only see and touch things. I could never really smell or taste anything that existed in the rooms of my mother's mind world. I never realized the human world could offer such vivid experiences. The sights, the hearing, the smell, the taste, the touch... and even the experience of pain and fear...


	12. Speculations, Part I

The sun was gradually setting and taking its light away from the SciLabs facility. Evening would soon follow shortly.

Lan sighed in frustration as he stared at the giant monitor. He felt like he wanted to just mash the keyboard in front of him and type nonsensically. A few moments later, Mr. Famous entered the lab to check on Lan's progress.

"The program still failed...?" Mr. Famous asked casually.

Lan turned abruptly and answered Famous' question.

"I tried to reboot the program several times. I tried to configure the settings. I tried to recode the program in order to make it work! I even tried ditching the program for thousands of Iris Clones to do the job! But Chaud wasn't lying about NeoForte's bugs. The bugs have become so potent that not even an Iris Clone could restore Protoman and Searchman. The best that I could do was stop the bugged data from spreading. Chaud and Raika are going to skin me alive if they find that I couldn't restore their Navis!" Lan exclaimed.

"What about the Greek Iris units? Why not use them?" Famous questioned.

"We've already lost many of them because of NeoForte's bugs. We can't afford to lose the remaining units. And it's going to take time and energy to duplicate the deleted Greek units."

"What about using the true Iris Healing Unit System? She could solve the problem much better than the Clones, right?" Mr. Famous mentioned.

Lan hesitated to answer. He wanted to help his friends' Navis, but he didn't want to go so far as to risk infecting the real Iris Healing Unit System. He dodged the question.

"...I just don't understand how some decades-old Navi could cause such irreparable damage. You'd think NeoForte would've been caught and deleted a long time ago by the Colonel Attack Unit systems. Or, at least the damage would've been reversed by the Iris Healing Unit systems..."

"He's pretty much Bass, remember?" Famous reminded matter-of-factly.

"Speaking of Bass, we have no idea where Baritone's parents could be. The Undernet was the original location, but... it's been a while since the entire Undernet started collapsing due to the Colonel Attack Unit System units chipping off the Undernet's data. Not to mention... Naomi's gate to her mind network area is completely cut off..."

"What do you mean by that?" Famous asked curiously.

"I remember several years ago that we had to send Megaman and Protoman back to the Undermet area that housed the gate to Naomi's mind world: the Mirror of Truth. We wanted to warn her of what was about to take place. We wanted to find a way to preserve Naomi's mind network. That way, Naomi wouldn't be affected by the Colonel Attack Unit System's protocol. But by the time Megaman and Protoman got there, the mirror was already shattered..."

"So, you're basically saying that Naomi's mind network area is unreachable?" Famous paraphrased.

"Yes. There's no entrance to her mind network area anymore... And we don't know any links or computers that lead to that area. At the very least, she's most likely alive. As for Bass... I don't know..."

Just as Lan finished verbalizing his contemplations, the double doors of the laboratory opened for Patch, Charity and Baritone.

"Hey, you guys. How've you been?" Lan asked.  
"We had a lot of fun at the mall!" Patch answered with a big grin.

Baritone was a little rueful about what had happened at the mall, but he was glad to see that Patch was able to get back up at his feet and be his usual self by the end of the day.

"I see... And what about your homework...?" Lan questioned further. He raised an eyebrow mischievously at Patch.

"Urk... Uuuuh... Well, I uhm..." Patch stuttered.  
"Told you, Patch." Charity stuck her tongue out and teased Patch. Lan could only chuckle in response.  
"Like father, like son they say." Famous remarked.  
"True, true..." Lan admitted. "I'll help you on your homework tonight, Patch. But you had better take care of schoolwork first before you do anything else from now on. Alright?"  
"OK..." Patch answered.  
"And I see that Baritone has gotten rid of the oversized lab coat and wore some real clothing." Lan smiled in satisfaction.

His eyes then widened as he suddenly realized something.

"Wait... Baritone, could you do me a favor?" Lan asked.  
"Um, what is it?" Baritone responded.  
"...I need you to log into the computer here and try to heal Protoman and Searchman." Lan requested. Lan went to the computer and pulled up the window where Protoman and Searchman were located.

The red and green Navis were in debilitated conditions due to NeoForte's potent bugs. Baritone cringed in disgust as the bug data squirmed around like maggots on Protoman and Searchman's bodies.

"Ew... That's so gross..." Charity shivered and rubbed her arms.  
"Ugh..." Patch groaned.

"Baritone," Lan said. "I know this is a big favor to ask, but could you try to heal Protoman and Searchman?"  
"Huh? Why me?" Baritone asked. Lan walked up to Baritone and stared at him face to face.  
"Remember when you healed Colonel Gamma...?" Lan replied. "My recovery program wasn't able to heal Protoman and Searchman, but if you were able to heal a Clone from NeoForte's bugs... maybe you could do the same for these 2 Navis. Can you help them?"  
"Oh... OK!" Baritone answered.  
"Alright. Walk over to the Copybot charger platform over there. Stand still as I jack you out of the Copybot, and I'll log you into the computer," Lan instructed.

Baritone did as he was told. A couple seconds later, he was in the cyber world and was standing in front of Protoman and Searchman. A holographic screen depicting Lan materialized next to Baritone.

"OK, Baritone. Try to heal them like you healed the Greek Colonel unit." Lan requested. Baritone nodded in affirmation as he cautiously approached Protoman and Searchman.

Baritone extended his hands outward and performed a Soul Heal on the two infected Navis. The white Navi's hands glowed a bluish-white light. Then, glowing orbs of light poured into Protoman and Searchman. Amazingly, the bug data dissipated and the two Navis recovered. Lan gasped in awe when Baritone finished healing the Navis.

"Unbelievable... Baritone's healing abilities surpass that of an Iris Clone!" Lan exclaimed.  
Patch and Charity were also amazed how Baritone was able to heal Protoman and Searchman.

But the three humans quickly noticed that Baritone was panting a bit after he was done.

"You OK, Baritone? How come you suddenly got tired like you ran a marathon?" Patch asked.

Baritone turned his attention to Patch and panted that Soul Heal was a healing move that reinvigorates Navis at the cost of his own energy. The more Soul Heal was performed, the more it drained Baritone.

"So, even great powers have strings attached to them." A familiar person said as he walked in.  
"You! Max, what are you doing here?" Patch pointed in disgust. Max glared at Patch.  
"Put a sock on it, Band-Aid. I'm not in the mood for Round 2." Max said.  
"Hey. Didn't Dex ever teach you manners?" Lan asked sourly.  
"...I'm not here to argue about petty matters," Max answered. "Mr. Blaze ordered me to ask you if his Navi, Protoman, has recovered. I happened to be around in the neighborhood, so I decided to come in. Fortunately, it seems you've already done your job."

Max then started at the monitor that portrayed Baritone. He then realize Baritone was the white-haired boy who bumped into him earlier.  
"You're the boy who bumped into me at the mall earlier today."  
"How... did you know...?" Baritone asked.  
"Not many people have blue eyes and white hair. They must be your favorite colors in your wardrobe, so I assumed it would've been you. And you should know that running is prohibited in the mall." Max explained. Baritone cringed a bit at Max's rebuke.

While Max was talking, Lan stared at Max incredulously. _Dex really needs to teach his stepson some manners... Chaud may have been annoying as a kid, but this little brat's even more spoiled than him!_ Lan thought.

"Why would Charity's dad send _you_ of all people to check up on his Navi?" Patch questioned.  
"Funny. I thought your friend Charity would've told you a long time ago." Max answered sarcastically.  
"Huh?" Patch responded. He stared at Charity as though he was searching for the answers in her eyes.  
"Well... I forgot to tell you that Max is one of the top Net Officials... He may be a jerk, but he's a genius in Net Battling. And you know that my dad's the international leader of all Net Officials..." Charity confessed.  
"What?" Patched gawked in disbelief.

Max smirked in arrogant triumph – until another person came into the lab. A little 9-year-old girl walked in shyly toward Max.

"Big Brother..." The little girl spoke softly. Max's eyes widened in surprise. He walked towards the little girl.  
"Michelle. I thought I told you to stay in the limo." Max said calmly but firmly.  
"But... you promised that you would be back in a minute. And... it's been 3 minutes..."  
"I tried to tell Ms. Ogreon not to leave, but she insisted to see you, sir. My deepest apologies!" Michelle's Navi, , explained.

Max sighed, but smiled gently. "Alright, I'll be done in 2 minutes. Then... we'll go to the park like I promised."  
"OK!" Michelle smiled cheerfully. The little girl then saw Charity and ran to her excitedly.  
"Cherry!" Michelle greeted Charity with a hug. Charity was a little miffed that some people called her "Cherry", but in this case she was fine with Michelle's greeting.

"Hi, Michelle!" Charity hugged back. "You're going to the park today?"  
"Yeah. It's been a while since I could go outside and play." Michelle replied.  
"Don't push yourself too hard. Be careful with your asthma, OK?"  
"I know. Ribbon always tells me to be careful. I won't forget!" Michelle giggled. She then glanced at Patch. Michelle briefly introduced herself to him.  
"Hello, I'm Michelle – Max's sister."

"Huh..." Patch was a little curious about Max's little sister, Michelle. While Max had a very serious and stiff demeanor, Michelle was more happy and relaxed. They were complete opposites, yet they seemed to have an average – if not good – brother-sister relationship.

"Uh, hey. I'm Patch." Patch introduced himself to Michelle.  
"...I'll let Mr. Blaze know that things are going well here." Max told Lan. Max then turned to Michelle.  
"Michelle. Time for us to go." Max said. Michelle said her goodbyes to Charity and Patch. She then obediently went to her brother's side and walked with him towards the exit.

There was a bit of awkward silence before Patch made a comment: "I didn't know that Max had a little sister."

"...Well, I'm not really supposed to say this, but... Michelle is actually Max's half-sister. My mom told me that Max is Mary Towa's son." Charity explained. "He was only a toddler when his father died. Later, Mr. Ogreon married Ms. Towa and they had Michelle. I heard that Max doesn't like his stepdad very much, even though his stepdad tries hard to please him."  
"Ogreon...? You mean Mayor Dex Ogreon? Seriously?" Patch asked incredulously. "...I can't imagine him marrying Ms. Towa and having a pretty daughter like Michelle..." Patch muttered.  
"What?" Charity huffed in jealousy.  
"I'm just saying!" Patch said.

Lan watched and smiled while Patch and Charity squabbled.

_Looks like I assumed Max too quickly. Chaud would definitely relate to him well... But I wonder how Dad and Dr. Kalinka Cossak are doing? I thought Naomi was the only child that Dr. Mikhail Cossak cared for... Nobody knew that he would actually have a biological daughter._ Lan thought.


	13. Speculations, Part II

Down in a different lab, Yuichiro and Dr. Kalinka Cossak worked on searching for any ghost data that were related to Kalinka's father.

"Any luck yet, Dr. Cossak?" Yuichiro asked as he watched Kalinka.

"Not yet..." Kalinka answered. She typed on the keyboards rapidly as she viewed the computer monitor. Streams of data were scrolling down the screen as Kalinka performed several search protocols in an attempt to find something – anything – about what her father may have left behind about Project Trichotomy.

After several minutes, Kalinka stood up from her chair and rubbed her eyes. She exhaled a frustrated sigh.

"Still no good. I'm taking a quick break while the computer performs my latest set of protocols to search any ghost data that relates to my father." Kalinka spoke.

"All right. Hopefully, we'll come across something." Yuichiro said.

Lan and Mr. Famous later came into the main laboratory that Yuichiro and Kalinka were in.

"Hi, Dad. The kids went home for the evening. Patch and Baritone are going to be at Charity's place for a sleep over tonight. Also, Chaud called earlier and said he would be coming some time soon." Lan explained.

"I see..." Yuichiro said.

"How's the search coming along?" Lan asked Kalinka.

"Nothing so far. But, I am hoping that something will come up in the current search protocols I've placed. All we got to do now is to wait." Kalinka answered.

"Ah." Lan remarked. He saw the music sheets that Kalinka had placed near the keyboard. "So, how did you manage to decipher the music sheets that your father encoded?"

"Like I said before, I learned the piano since I was a young girl."

"I would've never expected that the notes E, E, C, A would stand for Electopia. On the other hand A, C, D, and C would've been easily deciphered as ACDC Town." Lan commented.

"How did you come across these music papers?" Yuichiro asked.

"...Well..." Kalinka paused a moment before she answered. "When I was younger, my mother and I took a plane to where my father was held in prison. There, he gave me an old book that had the words 'Handel's Messiah' embroidered on the cover."

"Handel's Messiah... That's a very famous musical work." Yuichiro mused. Over the years, Yuichiro had become interested with musical works through his daughter-in-law, Maylu.

"And your father was in prison, Kalinka? For what?" Lan asked.

"My mother and I never knew. Father refused to say a word about what he was charged with. All he said was that he was sorry. Some time later... he was sentenced with capital punishment."

"I'm sorry to hear that..." Yuichiro said.

"It means nothing to me. He put his work before us..." Kalinka muttered bitterly. Both Yuichiro and Lan blinked in surprise and were speechless.

Kalinka continued talking about how she was too confused and upset to even be able to open the old book until several years later. She explained that when she finally opened the book of Handel's Messiah, instead of seeing the musical score of Messiah, she saw several sheets of the same musical gibberish that were now next to the computer keyboard.

"When I tried to play the notes on the piano it didn't sound right, so I thought it was some serious mistake. I began to throw most of the music sheets away or used them as scratch paper. But at some point, I couldn't shake the feeling that I would need them, so I had saved a few copies. Over time, I gradually began to realize the papers had some kind of a hidden meaning. But, as of now I don't fully understand what my father was trying to tell me through these music sheets. All I know is that there's got to be something here in SciLabs where my father used to work." Kalinka explained.

"Hmmm..." Yuichiro mused. But before he could speak his thoughts out loud, Chaud finally came in to join the 3 scientists.

"Hey, everyone." Chaud greeted briefly. "Max told me things went well with Protoman and Searchman's recovery."

"Yeah..." Lan breathed a sigh of relief. "Let me get Protoman transferred to your PET."

Lan went to a different computer in the lab and pulled up the site where Protoman and Searchman were located. Both Navis woke up from their restful sleep.

"Hello, Chaud," Protoman greeted. "Glad to see you back."

"Good to see you're well." Chaud relaxed and gave a small smile.

"Now, if only Raika was here to say the same thing." Searchman joked.

"At least both of you guys are doing all right now." Mr. Famous remarked.

"Protoman, do you still have the video files of what happened in the battle with NeoForte?" Chaud asked.

"Yes, I do. Let me transfer the files up here." Protoman answered. He transferred the video file into the computer's system and played it.

The humans watched as the battle scenes were replayed. The human's saw the footage from Protoman's point of view, who was blocking NeoForte's bugged Dark Arm Blade with his own sword. Protoman grunted and pushed NeoForte back before he retreated back a few feet away from the bugged Navi. Even Protoman's sword was vulnerable to the potent bugs.

The leprous bugs grew and infected the blade. They continued to creep toward Protoman's arm. At this point, the crimson Navi yelled and collapsed to the ground.

"I can't get the bugs off...!" Protoman panicked.

"Of course you can't. My bugs will corrupt and devour you, and I will only grow stronger! Haaaaahahahahahahaha!" NeoForte guffawed. "You all enjoy your last moments before you're completely devoured... I have much work to do..." NeoForte then fled.

Protoman blacked out and the monitor became noise. The video file stopped playing.

"Ugh..." Kalinka groaned in disgust.

"So that's what happened..." Yuichiro remarked. "And the bugs must have spread as time went on..."

"But I don't like the sound of NeoForte declaring that he will grow stronger by gorging on data and spreading his bugs..." Chaud commented.

"Chaud, what happened to the 3 Colonel units that were dispatched with Protoman and Searchman." Lan asked.

"It was strange... They weren't deleted, but they teleported and vanished." Chaud answered.

"Something tells me they'll be coming back to attack." Lan said.

"And Lan, how did you manage to restore Protoman and Searchman? Those bugs were so potent that not even my own anti-malware software could destroy them." Chaud asked.

"Actually, it wasn't me. It was Baritone who was able to heal them."

"Baritone?" Kalinka said curiously.

"You remember the boy that was here today? The one with the white hair, blue eyes and oversized white lab coat? That was Baritone." Lan answered.

"How can a human heal Navis?" Kalinaka questioned.

"The thing is... you could say he's part human and part Navi."

"What? That's impossible. Are you suggesting that a human and a Navi can have children? How can a human and a Navi produce a hybrid child?" Kalinka argued.

"Baritone's the son of Bass and Naomi." Lan answered. "...Which reminds me... do you know where they could be?"

All eyes turned to look at Kalinka, who became silent and scowled.

"What is it, Dr. Cossak?" Yuichiro asked.

"...What are you saying? Bass and Naomi are still alive? I thought they were dead!" Kalinka argued.

"Well, we're not sure as of now, but it seems they are alive. Baritone's left his mother's mind world and is searching for his father." Lan explained.

"Mind world? Baritone's parents? What nonsense are you talking about?" Kalinka asked in frustration.

"...May I ask why you seem to be disdainful of your sister and Ba-" Chaud tried to talk before he was rudely interrupted by Kalinka.

"Sister? That daughter of nobody isn't related to me at all! Don't put us on the same level!" Kalinka was practically shouting at this point.

"...Easy, Dr. Cossak. We're just as baffled as you are in regards to Baritone and his parents." Mr. Famous pleaded.

Kalinka was too angry and instead walked out of the laboratory.

"Geez, I think she was overreacting when we mentioned Baritone, Bass and Naomi." Lan said.

"Odd... Ms. Kalinka said that she and Naomi are not related at all. But aren't both of them Mikhail Cossak's daughters...?" Yuichiro wondered.

"I remember that Naomi was raised by Dr. Mikhail Cossak's relatives. But then Dr. Cossak adopted Naomi after they died. Technically, Ms. Kalinka and Naomi would be cousins... but judging by Ms. Kalinka's reaction, it seems the two may not be actually related." Searchman inferred.

"Apparently, Ms. Cossak isn't fond of Bass and Naomi as well." Chaud commented.

The computer finally beeped, indicating that it was finished with its search. Lan pulled up a chair and sat down to see what results were. There was only one result found.

"Hey, we found something!" Lan said. "Someone go get Kalinka!"

"I'll go get her." Yuichiro said as he walked out.

"So, what'd you find, Lan?" Mr. Famous asked.

"This..." Lan showed the result to Famous.

"...Huh." Famous responded.

Yuichiro searched for Kalinka and found her sitting at a table in the lobby.

"Dr. Cossak? Are you all right?" Yuichiro asked.

"...I am fine." Kalinka answered quietly. "...I apologize for my rude behavior earlier."

Yuichiro got a couple cups of coffee and sat down with Kalinka.

"Would you like to have some, Dr. Cossak?" Yuichiro offered.

"...Thank you." Kalinka took a cup and sipped. Both were silent for several minutes before Yuichiro asked a question.

"If I may ask... why did you react like that earlier?"

Kalinka hesitated for a minute before she tried to answer. Yet, even when she answered she struggled to say the words.

"...My father... was always busy in his work. He rarely came to visit me and my mother. He... He was very ambitious in his work. It... It got to a point where my parents separated. But... we still kept in touch. Later... when he told me that he created Bass, the world's first Solo NetNavi, he didn't even ask how I was doing. He only talked about Bass. And later he... he adopted Naomi and took care of her... instead of me..."

"I'm very sorry to hear that..." Yuichiro consoled.

"Again, I am sorry for my rude behavior. But please do not mention them again. And I do not want to see this... this 'NeoForte' you and your friends keep mentioning. He is a disgusting Navi – especially because he looks like Bass... And whoever this Baritone is, I don't want to see him either. He looks too much like... Naomi..."

Yuichiro was at a loss of what to say. He could only agree with Kalinka.

"...Understood, Dr. Cossak. I'll let the others know. Oh! And my son wanted me to tell you that the search did bring up a result. He wanted you to come and see it."

"I see... Thank you, Dr. Hikari... I will return to the laboratory and meet with him." Kalinka stood up and excused herself.

Yuichiro could only contemplate the curious request that Kalinka made. Do not mention anything about NeoForte, Bass, Naomi and Baritone? In Yuichiro's mind, he believed that the current problems seemed to be closely related. Yet, Kalinka's personal grudge seemed to make her deny or ignore the issues...

Yuichiro was worried not just for Kalinka, but also for Baritone and his family should they encounter Kalinka. The aging scientist finished his coffee and headed back to the laboratory where Lan and the others where.

"NeoForte returning to cause havoc... A son searching for his missing father... A scientist deciphering her father's cryptic clues... and complicated family issues... What such dilemmas..." Yuichiro said to himself. Little did he know that the situation would become even more complex later on...


	14. The Next Clue

"'The brain is a very big place in a very small space...' by Carl Sagan." Mr. Famous read the text file that was found from the search protocols. Moments later, Kalinka walked into the lab.  
"I am back." Kalinka spoke. "Were there any results?"  
"Just one." Lan turned around and answered. "It's just a text file that has a quote by Carl Sagan."  
"What was the quote?" Kalinka asked.

Lan answered and read the quote to her. Kalinka thought deeply for a few minutes. She scowled for a moment but quickly resumed her calm demeanor.

"Something wrong?" Lan asked.  
"No. It's nothing." Kalinka said. "I believe we should stop for the night and rest. We can resume tomorrow."  
"Well, it is getting late..." Lan commented. "I guess we could continue on this tomorrow."  
"Hmm..." Chaud remarked.  
"I shall be heading out for the night." Kalinka said as she started to pack her things and leave.  
"Wait, if you need a place to stay you're welcome to stay at our place." Yuichiro offered.  
"Thank you, but I will be fine. I will find a hotel to room tonight. It's been... a tiresome day." Kalinka's voice trailed off as she walked away. However, no one heard the string of curses that Kalinka's lips uttered as she walked out the doors...

"Well, if that's the case I'll be first in heading out. My back's been hurting a bit." Mr. Famous spoke. "I hate the fact that I'm getting old."  
"Haha, you're not the only one who's getting old." Yuichiro said.  
"Heh. Well, I'll see you guys later in the morning. G'night!" Famous said as he took his things and walked out the doors.  
"Bye, Mr. Famous!" Lan yelled. He could barely hear Famous replying with the usual remark: "It's just Famous!"

Lan chuckled. He turned to Protoman and Searchman in a different computer monitor. He typed a few protocols to make a final check on their stats.  
"From what I'm getting, both of you guys are fine now. So, you're free to go back to your Net Ops." Lan confirmed. Chaud came over to Lan's side and stared at Protoman in quiet relief.  
"Thanks." Chaud said as he laid his PET onto the computer dock so Protoman could transfer into the PET.  
"No prob." Lan answered. "And Searchman, I'll set up a secure portal so you can transfer back to Raika in Sharo."  
"Wait." Chaud interrupted. "I need to ask some questions. Searchman, what did you mean when you said that Naomi and Ms. Cossak may not be related? How did you even know about this?"  
"I told Raika about this, but I don't think I told you." Searchman answered. "Remember when Megaman, Protoman and I went deep into the Undernet to find Naomi's fragmented memories? We found the gate that led to what was essentially Naomi's digitized mind. And we found Naomi in there. She was the soul that was anchored in the mind world. I wouldn't be surprised if she was still there right now."

"Wait..." Chaud and Lan said simultaneously. They looked at each other in surprise.  
"The brain is a very big place..." Chaud uttered.  
"...in a very small space..." Lan finished.

"Of course..." Yuichiro commented as he heard the two talking. "The human brain is definitely a complex organ. It would take terabytes of memory to be able to digitize the brain – let alone the mind... Yet, with technology, it's possible to compress all that massive data within a small area – like how Naomi's digitized mind is nestled in the Undernet..."

"So, then Dr. Mikhail Cossak must have wrote Carl Sagan's quote as a reference to Naomi's mind." Lan concluded. "But, what does Naomi's mind have to do with Project Trichotomy...?"  
"Project Trichotomy..." Yuichiro said thoughtfully. "I need to look more into this. I have a feeling this Project Trichotomy has got something to do with Naomi."

Yuichiro also had a hunch that Kalinka might have quickly found out about the meaning behind Carl Sagan's quote.

"We've got a lot of work on our hands," Chaud warned. "NeoForte is still out loose in the Net, and if we want to retrieve Naomi's mind area we'll need to do that fast. Last time I checked, the Undernet is close to shutting down permanently. The Colonel units have been chipping off the entire network for a while."  
"We're gonna have to do that first thing in the morning." Lan calculated.  
"Hold on. We also need to find a way to deal with NeoForte. Chances are, he may go after Naomi, too."  
"Rats... So, what should we do?" Lan asked.  
"I have a plan, but it will be risky... Searchman, I may also need you and Raika's help as well." Chaud said as he explained the details.

When Chaud, Lan, and Yuichiro finished discussing the plans, they began to wrap things up in the lab. Lan sent off Searchman safely back to Raika in Sharo. Everyone then left SciLabs and went to their homes.

* * *

"Burst... Blast... Blast it... BLAST IT ALL!" Kalinka screamed as she threw the wine bottle at the wall. The bottle smashed into pieces and the wine exploded all over to the wall and the floor. Kalinka huffed in fury as she stumbled over to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror.

Her face was blushing a rosy pink from drinking too much wine. Looking at the mirror, she saw three of her faces spinning around like a pinwheel.

"Father... Whut on earth... are you... try... to make me do...?" Kalinka asked as she continued glaring at the mirror like it would answer her question.

"Trichotomy... the body... the mind... the soul... Trichotomy... the body... the mind... the soul..." Kalinka repeated almost into a chant.

"...Are you suggesting me... to raise that... conniving... little witch... Naomi... to life... is gonna... be alive... her mind world... her crazy... little mind world... is that... what Trichotomy is? Is that what it is? Where were you? Father, where on this pitiful earth were you? Hah?"

Kalinka barely heard someone next door yell at her to shut up, but she didn't care. Kalinka staggered to the bedroom and fell onto the bed.

"I'm... not gonna do it... I won't... No... I won't... Nope... Forget it... Just die... Father... Naomi... mean nothing to me... meaningless... fools... " Kalinka kept muttering as she fell asleep...


	15. Good Night

"Whoooooa..." Baritone gawked and stared in awe as he saw Charity's enormous mansion. The mansion was surrounded by brick walls. Each side had a pair of black arching gates that would give a trespasser a lot of trouble breaking in. The gates were designed in a graceful vine-like pattern.

"So, who else lives in your giant mansion?" Patch jokingly asked Charity.  
"My army of maids who will whip you with their brooms at my command." Charity answered coyly. Patch gulped nervously in response.

The 3 children got out of the limo and proceeded to the mansion. When they went inside, they were greeted by numerous maids who were prepared to serve Charity and her guests.

"Ulp, Charity wasn't kidding about the army of maids..." Baritone muttered. Baritone looked all around the mansion and saw exquisite chandeliers, beautiful furniture, and home decor that lavished Charity's mansion. Just then, he heard a squealing somewhere in the back of a long hallway. The sound got louder and closer until Baritone saw a lady in a red professional attire dashing at Charity.

"MY DEAR LITTLE BABY~!" The woman grasped and hugged Charity tightly. "How was my little darling today?"  
"Mom, I can't breathe... and I'm not a baby..." Charity choked.  
"Oooh, you're so adorable when you're like that." Charity's mother cooed. She looked at Patch and Baritone and greeted them.

"Why, hello there! I'm Yai Ayano Blaze, Charity's mother, Chaud Blaze's wife, and co-president of the Blaze Tech company. Patch, I see that you've grown since the last time we met. And who have we here?"

"This is Baritone," Charity answered. "Mom, you're squishing me..."  
"Hush, deary. You should let your new friend introduce himself." Yai gently rebuked as she finally let go of Charity. "What's your name?"  
"I'm... Baritone. Nice to meet you, ma'am..." Baritone greeted.  
"Oh, so timid of you." Yai giggled. She then turned to Patch and explained that Lan already contacted her about Patch and Baritone sleeping over at her place.

Everybody then heard the doorbell ring once more. A maid went to see who it was and quickly returned to Yai explaining that Michelle and Max were present.

"More guests? Wonderful!" Yai exclaimed as she opened the door. Michelle barged into the room with her sleeping bag.

"Hi, Cherry!" Michelle greeted cheerfully as she ran into the lobby of the mansion. She stopped momentarily to catch her short breath and then walked up to Charity and others.

"Michelle, please don't run! You need to be careful!" Ribbon, Michelle's Navi, fretted.  
"Sweetie, listen to your Navi and your mother and please don't run, OK?" A feminine voice called out to Michelle. A beautiful woman stepped into the mansion. She had emerald eyes and wavy, long blonde hair.

"Mary! Oh, I'm so happy to see you!" Yai said as she embraced Mary, took her by the hands and brought her into the mansion. "How have you been? Are you doing well?"

"I'm doing all right." Michelle answered. "I'm sorry if we're causing a ruckus. Michelle somehow found out that you're holding a sleepover. She begged me to come."

"Not a problem, Mary. You and your family's welcome to stay here for the night. Besides, I like the festivity." Yai said as she watched all the kids except Max go to settle their belongings.

"Max, you don't want to join them?" Mary asked.  
"Thank you, Mother... but I have some work to do." Max excused himself.  
"Max, you're still a young boy. Go and have some fun spending time with friends! You can work yourself to death when you're old and out on your own." Yai said as she ordered some of her maids to escort Max to a room.

Max honestly didn't want to be involved with 3 people that he met earlier at the mall, but he was not about to start an argument in front of his mother. He did as he was told and silently followed the maids.

"I'm sorry about that..." Mary apologized.  
"Mary, you apologize too much. Don't give yourself a heartache by worrying."

While Mary and Yai swapped their mommy stories and talked about their health and family life, the kids decided to watch movies in Charity's theater room. Most of them were sitting at the couch and were waiting for Charity to set up a movie. Max, however, refused to join and cooped himself up in his guest room.

"Geez, why does Max have to come?" Patch grumbled as he ate a fistful of popcorn.  
"Patch...! Don't say that in front of Michelle!" Charity hissed under her breath as she fiddled with her PET's remote control program to get a movie set up.  
"Hee, hee. It's OK. Max just doesn't want to be a party-pooper to you guys." Michelle smiled sweetly.  
"Huh..." Patch remarked as he ate another handful of popcorn.  
"What's a movie?" Baritone asked. He had much to learn in the world of humans.  
"Oh, a movie is like... well... it's something that helps us have fun. It tells stories - only we can see and hear the story come to life." Charity explained.  
"Cherry, which movie are we watching?" Michelle asked.  
"I wanted to watch this latest movie that came out on DVD. It's called 'Rain: The Seed of the Rainbow'." Charity answered.  
"That sounds like a cheesy movie. Why not watch something epic like 'The Blade of Destiny'?" Patch asked.  
"No." Charity retorted.  
"Fine, let's watch it after your movie, OK?" Patch negotiated.  
"NO."  
"..." Patch made a blank face and resigned in silent agreement that Charity's choice for the movie was absolute. Charity smirked in sly triumph as she pressed a button on her PET and the room darkened. The movie proceeded to play.

Baritone was dazzled to see the actors come to life on what was once a blank white screen. He watched as the movie told a tale about the Beholder of Lights and his wife, the Maiden of the Clouds, witnessing the world turn into the single color of gray. They were sad that although the creatures of earth moved and breathed, the creatures experienced a living death as everything around them – including themselves – were the color of ash. They knew that a demon who called himself the Lord of Ash, sprinkled his dust all over the earth in the beginning of time and turned it into a dry and desolate world.

With her tears, the Maiden of the Clouds gave birth to the Angel of Rain. The Beholder and the Maiden loved the child dearly, but they were commanded by the Creator of the Cosmos to give up their beloved son in a certain manner. The parents of the Angel of Rain were pained, but knew that they had to do so in order to bring life into the world. The Angel of Rain also knew what he had to do, and even though he was afraid he obediently did as the Creator of Cosmos commanded.

They trusted the Creator of the Cosmos and the parents sacrificed their son by piercing their only child with the Beholder of Lights' weapon: the Long Bow of Brilliance. The Beholder of Lights shot an arrow of his light into the Angel of Rain's heart. The Beholder, cried out in grief as he witnessed his son pierced by his own mighty weapon. The Maiden of Clouds wept in sadness at her son's death.

But then they stopped and watched in awe as the Angel of Rain's body burst open of crystal-clear blood that shined a million colors in the Beholder's presence. The Angel of Rain shattered into a million pieces and then became a million raindrops that fell upon the earth. Each raindrop was blessed with the 7 colors of the rainbow.

The rain fell into the dry earth and quenched it with moisture and color. As the Beholder and the Maiden watched this miracle, they saw a rainbow arch in the sky. The Creator of Cosmos appeared before them and promised that the Angel of Rain, whose spirit now stood with the Creator, will rule the waters and the sky and that the rainbow would be the symbol of the eternal promise. Life was now filled with vivid, rich color and the creatures of the earth would be able to live joyfully forever. The movie then ended with a final note explaining this is why rainbows appear after a shower today.

When the lights came back on, everybody found Patch sniveling like a toddler.

"That... was so beautiful...!" Patch sobbed as he wiped his eyes. Charity laughed as she slapped his arm and gave the "I told you it was a good movie" look.

Michelle giggled while Baritone silently thought about the meaning of the story.

"Would parents sacrifice their own children to save the world...? Would a child really be OK with it?" Baritone wanted to think more, but he was interrupted as Yai barged in and announced in a sing-song voice that dinner was ready. Everybody except Baritone screamed in excitement and ran down to the gigantic dining room that could probably hold dozens of people for a grand ball. Baritone just sighed and smiled as he followed after them. He noticed Max standing near by the door of the theater room. Max had his arms crossed and stared at Baritone.

"Hey." Max greeted curtly.  
"Hi." Baritone answered back. "Are you coming for dinner?"  
"Yeah. So, how was the movie?" Max asked.  
"It was good. It would've been nice that you watched along with us. Michelle says that you purposely didn't because you didn't want to ruin it for everybody."  
Max stared at Baritone with an expressionless face for a minute before he huffed and replied that he just didn't like watching movies and left for dinner. However, Baritone knew that Max just didn't want to admit the truth and smiled as he followed Max.

Dinner was a refreshing experience for Baritone as he tried a variety of foods and drinks that Yai prepared for them. By the time dinner was over, everybody could barely get off of their seats.  
"Buuurp! Ooh, man. I'm so full..." Patch belched.  
"Eeew, Patch." Michelle responded. Max silently glared at Patch and just left the table. Charity grimaced in disgust.

"Hey, Cherry. Would you mind teaching me how to Net Battle?" Patch asked. He wanted a rematch with Max and he didn't want to pass the chance.  
"Not tonight... Maybe tomorrow... I'm getting sleepy..." Charity yawned.  
"Aww... Come on. I wanna learn now so I can whoop Max."  
"Even if you did learn how to operate your Navi, you'd still lose to Max."  
"Come on, Charity... Pleeeaaase...?" Patched begged.  
"NO." Charity said as she went upstairs to get ready for bed.  
"...OK..." Patch did the same and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Baritone later followed and asked Patch what this doohickie and that thingamajig was. Patch taught Baritone how to brush his teeth but Baritone had a bit of trouble understanding Patch's paste-filled explanation.

Max was already in his room with his door closed when everybody else said good night. Baritone said his good-nights to his friends and closed the door quietly behind him. He was about to approach his bed when he noticed that the moon was full and clear. Baritone couldn't help but be awed by the pearl-white moon. He opened the window and felt the night breeze blow gently at his face as though an angel of the night kissed him a good night.

Baritone breathed deeply and enjoyed the quiet night. He heard the soft chirps of crickets and looked at the sky. The moon's beauty almost reminded him of his mother...

The young boy looked down at his hands in quiet sadness as he proceeded to close the window and crawl to his bed. He shuffled a little under the blankets and turned so he could see the moon from where he was laying. He stared at the still moon once more.

"I miss Father... and Mother..." Baritone whispered as his eyes fell heavy and his mind slipped into the ethereal dreams.


End file.
